


Blood of a Fighter

by Koumagda



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Borderline slowburn, Drama, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Everyone’s got issues, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Mild Gore, Swearing, long ass chapters, lots of badass Akko moments, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-02-04 20:10:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koumagda/pseuds/Koumagda
Summary: LWA AU: No magic, just the undeadThe world fell to the hands of the dead when Atsuko Kagari was 19. One year later, society isn't much better. She and her group have been constantly on the run. Everything was fine until they lost one of their most important team members. And a gunshot at bad timing certainly didn't help the situation.With nowhere else to go, the group ended up at the front gates of Luna Nova, a prestigious college. That's when they met Diana Cavendish, the leader of another group who had made the Luna Nova campus their territory.Amanda O'Neill thinks she's a prude, Sucy Manbavaran thinks she's a bitch, but Atsuko Kagari?She thinks she's kind of hot.**taking a breakplus I’m stupid so I have to consider some things about our characters backstories and try to fix/edit them





	1. 5/6 of a Whole

 

**“Run!”**

 

Six figures burst through the revolving doors of a run-down shopping mall. Behind them, several dozen decaying corpses, each of which desperately pushed and shoved one another with outstretched arms. The dead were hungry; they craved the flesh of the living.

Once on the outside, the six made a run for a red Jeep Wrangler and a black minivan. It was dusk and as night fell, the shuffling black shapes around them became increasingly difficult to see. A short-haired girl with piercing green eyes drew back her arm before impaling a head with a spear. The weapon went right through the eye socket, followed by a sickening splitting sound as it was ripped back out. The corpse crumbled to the ground in a heap of cold rotting flesh.

The horde of the dead seeped from the mall building and into the parking lot. With a click and a thump, another girl with long brown hair thrust herself into the driver’s seat of the Jeep. Beside her, the green-eyed girl hopped into the minivan. Both engines roared to life as the two prepared their escape. The remaining four were rushing to enter the vehicles; their equipment and bags slowed them down. Footsteps heavy on the pavement, they rushed across the dirty, bloodied parking lot, which was littered with cars and garbage. A cold sweat broke and adrenaline kicked in each one of them as they flew past and in between abandoned cars while trying to evade the bloodthirsty biting creatures.

A girl with thick mauve hair was the first to make it, quickly shoving a backpack through the rolled down window. Now seated inside the passenger seat of the red Jeep, she panted heavily in desperate attempts to catch her breath. Next, a tiny girl with navy blue hair leaped into the minivan passenger seat. Her eyes widened when she looked outside to see one of their group members trip and fall.

“Lotte!” The brunette screamed over the plethora of snarls and choking noises.

“It’s okay!” A tall girl with pastel pink hair twisted into braids shouted. She lifted an AK-47 and fired into the crowd of vicious creatures. Bullets sprayed into bodies and skulls. Meanwhile, a ginger with short hair scrambled to her feet. She was about to make a run for the Jeep when she halted. The other girl was still shooting with her assault rifle as the horde closed in on them.

“Jasminka, we need to go now!” The one called Lotte exclaimed. Suddenly, a large backpack was thrown at her chest. She stumbled backward, surprised at its heavy weight. It was almost enough to send her flying, given her smaller stature and other packs on her back. When Lotte looked up, her group mate was being bitten on the ankle by a corpse that had stealthily crawled its way over. Blood oozed from the wound as it gnawed at her. Teeth ripped open the flesh and Lotte almost fainted as she watched it pull its head back. It swallowed the flesh from the ankle and she swore she saw bone.  A shriek of pain and distress sounded as the girl stopped firing to bash its head in with the butt of her AK-47. Nauseating crunching noises sounded out as she ground the gun into its face.

“Go!” Jasminka roared through the agony, barely standing her ground. In front, the dead approached. “Leave me!”

Knowing that there was nothing they could do for her now, Lotte ran. She ran as fast as her legs could go until she felt the burn in her muscles. Tears streamed down her face as she looked back. Jasminka flashed her a smile over her shoulder and nodded. A sob escaped Lotte’s throat as she closed the car door.

As soon as she did, both cars were on the move. The minivan was the first on the road with the Jeep following close behind. Headlights lit the way as the two vehicles headed for the highway out of town. The loud, savage groans and hisses of the living dead became silence and the lurking figures faded into the darkness of the night.

Kagari Atsuko recalled the events that lead up to this moment. Even after seeing so many friends fall, she still couldn’t help but feel emotional. Jasminka Antonenko was her friend. She fought back the tears that threatened to blur her vision. Right now, she needed to concentrate on driving. Her hands clenched around the wheel and it took everything in her not to floor it, which wasn’t a good idea with another car in front of her. But as she sped after the minivan ahead, she couldn’t help but think.

 

* * *

 

“The plan’s simple: We go in, take what we need, we go out,” a brunette muttered as she parked a red Jeep.

The afternoon sun shined brightly down on the group of six. Each of them cautiously stepped out into the abandoned parking lot. It was cluttered with cars, some that had been deserted in the chaos, some that had gotten into wrecks due to the hundreds of people that had tried to flee all at once. Utter silence encompassed the girls as they surveyed their surroundings. Kagari Atsuko turned and pulled out empty bags from the floor of the Jeep’s back seat.

“Akko, can you get me my hiking pack?” Sucy asked. Her voice was as monotonous as ever. The mauve-haired girl squinted. “Ugh, the sun’s too bright today.”

“Sure,” the brunette responded. She pulled an empty purple hiking backpack out and tossed it her way. “Amanda, my red duffel bag should be in your van.”

Pale green eyes looked her way. Amanda was another girl with spiky ginger hair with salmon undertones. She grabbed the said bag accordingly. Shuffling sounds were made as the aforementioned girl unloaded the trunk of a black minivan. As empty duffel bags and backpacks fell to the ground, two others reached to pick them up. “I’ll look in a second, mkay? Cons, you should take a smaller bag.”

Navy blue hair swayed gently as Constanze “Cons” bent down to grab a brown satchel. She handed the large black duffel bag she was originally taking to Jasminka. Brushing her light pink braids over her shoulder, Jasminka accepted it and slid the duffel bag onto her back. If Constanze were to take a second bag, it would weigh her down too much. The girl was only 5’0” tall and her body was petite.

“So... how are we going to go about this?” Lotte inquired, loading bullets into the chambers of her revolver. She snapped the cylinder shut before digging an ammo box out from one of her backpacks.

Amanda slung two unfilled duffel bags over each shoulder. Then, she pulled out a red duffel bag, tossing it to Akko. Just when she was about to shut the trunk, Amanda paused to leer at Lotte. “Ammo better be on our shopping list.”

“If we’re careful, we could scavenge around these cars,” Sucy hummed. She leaned against the side of a pale blue convertible. Inside, a putrid sun-baked creature meekly raised its head. A wheeze escaped its mouth as it repeatedly opened and closed its jaws, trying to get close to Sucy against the restraints of a seatbelt. Frowning, Sucy slammed a thick knife into its forehead. It froze before slumping back against the headrest. “Just try not to raise the dead,” she chuckled dryly. “It looks peaceful but if we’re as clumsy as Akko, we’ll all die.”

“Hey!” Akko turned her head towards Sucy. Her eyes narrowed as she watched her groupmate pick through the barren car. “Looking around the cars isn’t a good plan. We only have so much time and earlier Lotte reminded me that people usually go shopping with empty cars.” She returned to stringing her crossbow.

Her vertical bow, “Shiny Arc” had unfortunately been sacrificed in a supply run the previous month. She had run out of arrows and was forced to lighten her load when what they called “walkers” descended upon them. It wasn’t long after that when Akko had met the new “Shiny Arc”, otherwise known as “Arc”. At a hunting outfitter, she had seen it on display, ignored as mankind opted for firearms. Despite the loads of arrows she had plundered up, Akko was running low on ammunition; everyone was.

“Cons, how’re ya doin’ on rounds?” Amanda inquired as she loaded her Remington Model 700. The bolt-action rifle had a partially full external magazine attached. She frowned having previously counted only four bullets.

In response to Amanda, Constanze merely shook her head. The smaller girl held her Heckler & Koch MP7 and two 20-round magazines. Where Constanze got the weapon is a mystery that nobody has enough time to investigate. Overall, a semi-automatic gun consumes a big load of ammunition, especially when fending off massive crowds of the undead.

“Don’t worry. Here’s our game plan,” Akko spoke as she pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out of her pocket. “We need the following: food, guns, ammo, antibiotics, and… mushrooms?”

Everyone turned to look at Sucy, who had a wide grin on her face. She snickered as Akko let out a sigh. Amanda snorted and Lotte shook her head.

“No mushrooms,” Akko stated firmly.

“Fine, but don’t come crying to me when you want to get high.” She shrugged and snickered.

“Akko, wanna get a move on anytime soon? If we wait too long, it’ll be dark,” Amanda redirected the conversation. “I’ve been here before so I gotta vague idea of where to find shit.”

“Yeah,” the brunette nodded. The others followed her lead as she began to walk towards the mall building. “If everyone’s ready, then let’s head in. Stay close, quiet, and be safe.”

Before the world fell to ruins, anyone would have thought that Amanda O’Neil would be the one calling the shots and leading the group. She was a fighter who didn’t seem to follow anyone’s rules. But Amanda was a hot-head. Her short-temper was her fatal flaw.

On the other hand, Kagari Atsuko was a quick-thinking girl. Akko was reckless and she usually didn’t spend a lot of time debating the pros and cons of her decisions. Normally, a person like this wouldn’t be an ideal leader. But in terms of survival, Akko’s actions on a whim had saved lives and her generally enthusiastic personality helped the group’s morale.

Also, Amanda and Akko were pretty close friends. Amanda, as a go-with-the-flow type of person, had no problem with letting Akko take charge. She was Akko’s right-hand man and there was mutual trust between the two of them. As for Akko, she generally enjoyed being a leader but had initially denied the responsibility. She wanted someone more capable and level-headed to guide the group.

But after Akko had led the survivors to victory in a shootout against some Appleton Academy bandits, Amanda had officially nominated her to be their leader. She had saved Amanda’s life when a boy had her at gunpoint. Amanda thought it was over as she dropped her weapons and was backed against a wall. Then, out of nowhere, Akko burst through the window with “Arc” and shot him in the head. In the end, it was a majority group vote that allocated Akko their team captain, their group leader.

 

* * *

 

Akko and Amanda peered through the dusty, blood-smeared revolving doors to the building. There were a few wandering walkers, but nothing that couldn’t be dealt with easily. It was dead silent as Amanda tried to remember which stores were located in which parts of the mall. However, luckily her thinking halted when she spotted a knocked over brochure and literature rack. It looked like it had been dragged close to the doors in hopes of making a barricade.

Following her gaze, Akko’s eyes also settled on the rack. She squinted to see a few maps of the mall scattered around it and a kiosk. Amanda gave a nod and moved to push one of the revolving doors. But swiftly, Akko gripped her arm and yanked her backward. What they needed right now was a runner. Amanda was just as built as her, but if Akko was good at anything, it was running. No one was faster than her.

“I’ll make a run for the maps. Amanda, Jasminka, cover me. I don’t want to hear any guns. Lotte, Sucy, Constanze, be alert out front. If anything happens outside the mall or inside, shout,” she instructed. When she received curt nods, Akko put her empty red duffel bag down and slipped on her arrow quiver. Her muscles tensed as she prepared to go in. She took a deep breath and counted to three.

One.

Two.

Three.

Akko pushed through the doors with all her might. Once on the other side, she sped towards the literature rack. Bright ruby-red eyes flickered all around as she tried to make note of her surroundings. Through the windows, the sun gave light to a very dim building. Growls and snarling increased in volume as the walkers took notice of her. Akko swept up four mall maps before she turned and raced back towards the revolving doors.

A living corpse wobbled in front of her. It tried to grab her but she was faster. Akko ducked underneath the walker’s arms before proceeding to kick the back of its knees. With a grunt, it fell forwards. The maps were stuffed into the pocket of her light gray winter vest. She yanked a knife from a holster on her thigh and brought it down on the walker’s head. It made a squelching sound as it slipped past the bloody, rotting facial flesh. Quickly, Akko ripped it free and ran towards the exit, kicking another walker in the side as it came at her. A thud echoed slightly as it fell, leaving her to make her escape. Seconds later and she was greeted by direct sunlight.

“Good run, Akko,” Lotte praised once she had come out of the mall. She approached the heavily breathing girl with a water bottle. “Want a drink?”

“I’m okay,” she replied, using a hand to gently push it away. Akko scooped the four maps out of her pocket and began to hand them out. She kept one for herself and gave the other three to Amanda, Jasminka, and Lotte. “Save it for when we have more to spare. There’s six of us, so I’m thinking that three of us should head for weapons while the other three search for food and medicine. Look through the food court and for any pharmacies. Some malls have those now. Any objections?”

“It sounds like a good plan but I have a different question…” Jasminka murmured. She looked through the dirty glass to see only two undead figures trying to claw their way to them. Jasminka leaned up against the revolving door and tried to keep them still. “Where are all the walkers? I thought we’d see more on the main floor.”

“Maybe they all escaped the mall?” Amanda glanced around. The map Akko had given her crinkled in her hands.

“Unlikely… but let’s take this golden opportunity,” Sucy mumbled. She and Constanze looked over Amanda’s shoulder. “We can run up the escalators to the gun shop. In the same area, there should be a hunting outfitter.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to have such stores in a mall?” Lotte pursed her lips together.

“Not all malls have them; most don’t. We just lucked out,” Amanda replied. “Before this all began, I’d sometimes go searching for shops with Cons. So like I know this for sure, y’know?”

“Sure, sure,” Akko spoke, drawing the attention of the other five girls. “Amanda, Constanze, you’re with me. We’ll look for ammunition and stuff. Lotte, Sucy, and Jasminka, I think you guys should be on food-duty.”

“Maybe I should switch with Lotte. Or maybe Cons should,” Amanda interjected. She motioned for Jasminka to move away from the revolving doors. Choosing between her spear and her bat was tough. But in the end, Amanda decided that she wanted to warm-up both arms. Her eyes concentrated on the two walkers that slowly pushed their way through. Sucy and Jasminka moved to grab their weapons but ceased when Amanda swiftly whipped out a metal baseball bat. She smashed both heads quickly, swinging with all her might. Lotte flinched, disgusted as rotten brain splattered against the ground in front of her. “I mean, if ya think about it, we need to even out the manpower.”

“I think the groups are just fine.” Lotte frowned. “Jasminka is like the protector of all. Besides, Sucy and Jasminka both know a lot about food and what can be salvaged. And from what it looks like, there’s a bookstore near the food courts. I have a list of helpful books we should look for. Also, everyone here can defend themselves pretty well.”

“Lotte’s right,” Akko agreed while nodding her head. She tapped her chin with a finger. Taking extra precautions wasn’t a bad idea, but something about swapping Amanda for Lotte bothered her. Though she admired and liked Constanze, she felt safer knowing that another capable person was covering her back. Constanze could fire a gun better than Amanda however, her small build and lack of upper-body strength rendered her weak in close-combat. Without drawing the attention of every walker around them, Amanda could quickly take down her opponent. But she couldn’t just say that she wouldn’t do anything unless her right-hand man was there. It might hurt Constanze’s feelings and it would indicate that Akko didn’t fully trust everyone in the group. A light-bulb went off in her head. “Plus, me, you, and Constanze know the most about guns and weapons.”

“Alright…” Amanda sighed, eyes refusing to leave Jasminka. She slowly set the bat down on the ground, which was slick with rotten blood, before picking up her spear. The two had developed a strong bond due to Jasminka’s passion for cooking and Amanda’s large appetite. Jasminka was also one of the closest things that anyone in the group had to a mother. She was known for spoiling the other group members and listening to anyone who needed it. “Jasna, just… call if there’s trouble.”

“I will.” Jasminka smiled gently at her friend. “Don’t worry!”

“That’s right! Now let’s do this before it gets too dark!” Akko flashed her group a toothy grin. Wide smiles and confident gazes were given in response. After loading an arrow into Arc and slipping Akko’s red duffel bag strap back onto her shoulder, the weapon and ammunition team rushed through the doors and into the mall. The food and medicine group followed in pursuit.

 

* * *

 

Akko, Amanda, and Constanze ran through the main entrance area. They moved straight ahead in the direction of the escalators, which no longer moved due to the lack of electrical power. Walkers were drawn to their footsteps, but surprisingly there were only five or six. Akko glanced over her shoulder as they began to climb the escalator steps. If Lotte, Sucy, and Jasminka were troubled by too many walkers on the first floor, she would stay and help them clear the dead. Luckily, they seemed to be doing well with Lotte’s knife skills, Sucy’s unnoticed presence, and Jasminka’s brute strength. A smile fell upon Akko’s lips as she saw Lotte drive a long knife through a walker’s skull and Sucy creep up on another with a machete. They were going to be just fine.

Unexpectedly, a walking corpse hobbled to the top of the escalator they were climbing. It bared its rotten teeth from its jaw which was peeling, crusty with old blood. The walker wore a plain white t-shirt and black skinny jeans, both of which were ripped and displayed nasty bites. Was that a rib sticking out of his side vertically? Gross. Obviously, it wanted to have a taste of the girls but Akko had other plans. As they neared the top, she grabbed the front of the walker’s shirt. Its teeth clicked as it tried to bite her. Her eyes scanned the ground below them in seconds. Deeming it all clear, Akko used her right foot as an anchor and heaved the snarling creature over the side of the escalator. It fell and landed with a thump. She hoped that it had broken its head open so that the other team wouldn’t have to deal with it. Unfortunately, she saw its arm move to push itself upwards as her own team reached the top of the escalator and bolted towards a gun store she had previously seen on her map. Beside her, Amanda was running with her map completely unfolded.

Since Akko wasn't sure whether or not she had the right store, she looked to Amanda for a little help. Red eyes met green eyes and when Akko was given a curt nod, she picked up the pace. A grin began to form as they neared the store successfully. Behind the two, Constanze fought to keep up. The tiny girl had preferred sitting in a workshop with tools as a mechanic before the outbreak occurred. Consequently, she lacked stamina in comparison to Amanda and Akko. 

The squad of three stopped to catch their breath outside the shop. The display windows were shattered and void of any weapons. Amanda and Constanze turned to watch Akko's back as she peered through the open doors. Surprisingly, the store wasn't locked down and lead her to believe that the mall didn't even have time to prepare security measures before chaos ensued. Perhaps this establishment had already been raided for all its goods. But maybe, just maybe someone had been even a little bit considerate of other survivors. 

While Akko continued to search for signs of danger, Constanze silently glanced around. There were no walkers in sight and the echoing of growls from the first floor steadily began to quiet down. She noticed, in the dim lighting, a few other shops around them. Right in front of them was one of many boutiques. To her right, Constanze noticed a pretzel shop and to the left of Amanda was yet another outfitter. All seemed empty at a glance, which actually unsettled Constanze. Amanda seemed to be equally disturbed. Until what was once a young woman came wobbling around the corner. Its pastel yellow dress was tattered and soaked in the deep, dark stains of old blood. Ratty, filthy shoulder-length brown hair swayed as it crept towards Amanda. One eye had been popped out, leaving a gaping hole in the skull. Maggots ate away at it as well as a large gash in the upper right breast. A grunt of disgust came from Amanda as she speared it twice. Brief squishing noises made Constanze crinkle her nose as she watched it enter the walker's neck and head. The first strike to the neck caused blood to come gushing out, darkening the bright yellow dress with crimson red. The next strike put the walker to rest. 

Akko was about to take the first step into the abandoned gun store when she heard the sounds of Amanda retracting her spear and something heavy falling to the ground. She quickly turned around, ready to shoot any oncoming opponents with "Arc". There was silence as Akko slowly began to realize that only one walker had appeared, not a whole group. Usually, where there was one, there were others. "Thanks. Now let's go," she murmured.

"Lead the way," Amanda replied. With the flick of a wrist, she whipped the walker blood off her spear. It splattered on the ground and part of the door. Both Constanze and Akko flashed her a glare. "Whoops, my bad."

Constanze huffed and rolled her eyes while a brief smile formed on Akko's face. A moment later and they had made it through the entrance of the shop. With only one window in the very back of the room, it was dark. Luckily, their eyes had already been adjusting since the moment they stepped foot in the mall. Each of them pulled out flashlights so that they could better see. Akko lit up the path ahead of her, but not at her feet. She stepped on bullets and began to fall backward when Constanze swiftly moved to grab the furry hood of her vest. "Thanks, Constanze." Akko gave her a thumbs up and regained her footing on the ground.

Amanda shined her light towards Akko. Her eyes focused on the bullets scattered all around her. Pale green orbs slowly followed the bullets to an upside-down box of ammunition. She tilted her head to read it: _'9mm Luger'_. A SIG P365 semi-automatic pistol could use this. So could most pistols in general. Knees met the cold, hard floor as Amanda knelt to pick up the bullets and put them in the box. "P365 handguns, and any 9mm Luger caliber pistols; see if you can find them."

While she was doing that, Akko and Constanze cautiously made their way towards the counter. Normally, guns of all sorts would have coated the walls. Others had obviously been here before them. The walls were bare of any rifles and shotguns, void of any big firearms. Akko groaned and caressed her temple with her index finger. Constanze lurched forward, flashing light down to the counter. The glass was completely shattered and parts were covered in dry blood. Luckily, at least some of the handguns had remained untouched. Akko lifted her foot and kicked at the counter until only the silver metal skeleton of it remained. All the glass had fallen to the floor. 

Eyebrows furrowed, blue-green eyes scanned what was left of the gun display. Constanze reached forward and plucked three guns out before shoving them into her satchel. 

"Are those the ones Amanda wants?" Akko inquired. She grabbed as many handguns as she could, not caring which ones they were specifically. Into her duffel bag they went, clacking against each other as Akko tossed them in. 

Constanze nodded before heading back towards Amanda to search the shelves for ammo. The two of them crept through the aisles, bagging whatever they could. At this point, they could just sort everything out later. Right now, they needed to regroup and leave. This intense silence was even beginning to make Akko feel uneasy. Something was wrong and she could feel it in her bones. 

"Are there any big firearms here?" Amanda asked. Her fingers fumbled along the dusty shelves while she felt around for any more ammo boxes. Realizing this was impractical, she put her flashlight in her mouth. The better field of vision allowed her to catch sight of several boxes in the corner of the room. "Cons, over here," she beckoned the smaller girl with a hand. 

Thick dust made Amanda's hand feel grimy as she swept it off the top of one of the first box. There was a total of four stacked in a tower. Upon opening, the two girls found a load of cartridges. Amanda cheered and fist-bumped Constanze. 

Boxes of .300 Winchester Magnum, .357 Magnum, and 7.62x39mm caliber bullets were quickly unloaded and thrown into one of Amanda's two duffel bags. Each one could not only be used by her Remmington M700 rifle, but by a vast amount of other large firearms as well. As far as she knew, these were three of the most common caliber bullets for rifles. Giddy feelings rose from deep within her chest. Constanze flashed a light on the side of the box to reveal ' _RIFLE AMMUNITION'_   written in black sharpie. The cardboard box below it read  _'.22LR'._  Having looted the first box until it was empty, Amanda threw it aside. 

Amanda assumed that the second box contained strictly .22LR cartridges and thus did not bother to look at them as she poured all the contents into her bag. These could be used on an even wider range of weapons from rifles to pistols. Amanda had to hold back the excitement as not to scream aloud. All ammunition was stored in transparent flip-top containers, which were distinctly labeled. She commended the store's long-gone owner(s) on their organization. 

The last two boxes were labeled  _'SHOTGUNS'_ and  _'ACP'._ 20, 12, and 10 gauge rounds filled the shotgun ammunition box. At this point, things were too good to be true. Now it made sense why the shelves were mostly bare. In the chaos, people must have completely forgotten about storage. Amanda couldn't blame them since she too would prefer a weapon over a fistful of bullets. As she watched Constanze peer at the variety of different ACP cartridges, Amanda had a moment of realization. 

The salmon-haired girl looked up to see Akko putting the last of the counter display handguns into her bag. Her hands fumbled with boxes as she and Constanze unloaded the rest of the ammunition into her duffle bag. By now, it was significantly heavier than she had expected. Luckily, Amanda could handle it with ease. "Akko, check the back closet." 

"Right..." Akko's eyes flickered to a metal door behind the counter. "Backup please," she said, inching her away around it. Immediately, Constanze and Amanda were behind her. 

Akko reached for the doorknob. It was ice-cold against her skin.

"One, two..." 

Like lightning, she turned the knob and ripped it open. Akko's boots thumped against the floor as she backed up a couple of steps. Both Amanda and Constanze shined their flashlights into the inky black closet space. A low growl erupted from the silence. 

Laying on the ground against the wall was a skinny, malnourished-looking walker. The cheekbones were prominent and it definitely wasn't because of decay. Dismay and pity crossed Akko's face when she realized that this person must have been waiting for help to arrive when it starved to death. 

"Lucky us!" Amanda exclaimed. She moved towards the weak corpse that could barely lift its arm to grab at them. A cracking sound was heard as Amanda jammed her spear into its head. Then, she proceeded to remove an M4 Carbine from around its neck. 

"Amanda, can't you have a little more respect?" Akko fumed. Annoyance struck her as the M4 found its way around her own neck. She lowered "Arc" and shot the taller girl a harsh glare. "Seriously?"

"Akko, his sacrifice was not in vain. Look," she laughed. The said girl frowned, watching Amanda pick up a double-barreled shotgun and stuff it into the second duffel bag she was carrying. "He was hoarding all the good stuff." 

"It's sad though," Akko looked down at the ground. Heaving a sigh, she decided to have a look around the room. She didn't want to be here any longer than they had to. 

There were dozens of firearms leaning against the wall around the walker. All would be useful in the future, but they needed to consider their load. Would all of this even fit in the bags? In the cars? Perhaps they should disregard the most powerful guns for the lighter ones. Though there were some here that she couldn't even identify. 

"Isn't this great, Cons?" Amanda smirked. She plucked up three guns at random and packed them into her bag. "I'm all set."

Constanze gave her a nod and shoved the boxes of ammo laying around the walker into her satchel. Additionally, she picked up an Uzi. She got lucky to see a couple of containers of 9mm Luger bullets nearby. Everything was quickly packed away and she tugged on Akko's sleeve to let her know that she too was ready. 

"I think that we're going to be okay for a while," Akko announced, standing up. "Good work!"

The three of them triumphantly exited the shop, bags heavy with new supplies. They were on their way towards the escalator when Amanda abruptly stopped. Constanze walked right into her back. The smaller girl followed her gaze to the escalators moving upwards towards the third floor. They were blocked off... as if someone had been camping out here before. No surprise there.

"Hold tight," she mumbled. Amanda stalked towards a set of double doors at the very end of the hall. A wooden board was slid in between the handles, preventing them from being opened. She pulled her map and skimmed over it. Just behind these doors was a stairwell leading to the first and third floor. 

"What's going on?" Akko called out to her as quietly as possible. 

"There's a pharmacy on the third floor. We can get up there from here. These are the stairs," Amanda responded. With her index finger, she pointed towards the doors. 

"Why is it blocked off though?" Red eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Maybe we shouldn't mess with it."

"Since when do have second thoughts?" Green eyes stared right back. "It's probably blocked off since another group was living on the third floor. By the looks of it, they're probably all dead. We can take care of them when we're up there."

"There are pharmacies in town," Akko frowned. "I don't want to be here. It's making me feel uneasy. I don't trust this place." 

"Hey, hey, chill out, Akko. Wouldn't it be better to kill two birds with one stone and just hit up the pharmacy that's already here? Since when do you play it safe?" Amanda simply shrugged her shoulders before proceeding to slide the board out.  _Clunk._ It fell to the ground. She ignored Akko's commands for her to stop. 

"Amanda!" Akko shouted. She was infuriated that the other girl had ignored her and done such a thing. "We're not going up there." 

"Akko, shh," Amanda shushed her, "I think I hear something." 

On the other side of the door, the salmon-haired girl swore that she had heard shuffling noises. Looks like there was a walker. "Stand back, I've got this."

"Constanze and I are going. You're coming with. Let's go," Akko went to grab Amanda's arm but it was too late. Amanda had whipped open the right door.

Unfortunately, there was not one walker, not two walkers, not three walkers, but... 

"Run!" Amanda bellowed. 

A whole crowd, no, a **horde** of the undead exploded through the doorway. The three of them didn't hesitate. With Akko leading them, Constanze and Amanda burst through the mall. Their hearts pounding in their chests and all senses, especially their hearing, were momentarily impaired in the rush. They flew past the shops and down the conveyer belt steps, desperately and mentally pleading themselves not to trip. Walkers were hot on their trail, flooding the entire second floor. Shoes squeaked and clacked as many staggered forward. Noises that reminded Akko of a rabid dog filled their ears. The living dead pushed and shoved each other in attempts to make it down to the main floor all at once. Some fell and ended up rolling after them. 

"Akko?!" Lotte screamed, searching for an explanation of what was going on. The food and medicine squad had just regrouped when they heard the echoes of Amanda's warning cry. 

"No time! Just get your shit and go!" Akko turned around and launched arrows into the corpses descending upon them. The joint growls and snarls of the mass were making her ears bleed. Together with "Arc", she shot a walker that had grabbed Constanze's shoulder. Blood sprayed out and into the air. It would have slumped over and crushed the small girl if she had moved a half-second too late. "Hurry up!" 

Once everyone was together on the main floor, they made a run for the exit. 

 

Which eventually brought them to this very moment. 

 

Emotions bubbled up from deep within Akko and she could feel the oncoming overflow.

 _Screeeeeech._ She slammed the brakes down, effectively stopping the vehicle. In seconds, she could see the black minivan slow and make a U-turn. The other members of their group were coming back to see what was happening. Luckily, they didn't get too far ahead before realizing that the jeep had halted. 

Akko lifted her shaky hands to her face and cried. 

 

"Jasminka..."


	2. Wrong Target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group struggles to cope with Jasminka's death in the night. After one hell of an experience, one is feeling more broken than the rest.  
> Night makes things nearly impossible to see, Akko will remember that for the rest of her life.

Through the darkness of the night, choked sobs could be heard. Amanda unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Headlights of both the Jeep and the minivan were their only source of light. She steadily made her way towards the shiny red vehicle. A small clicking noise sounded out. In the passenger seat, Sucy had unlocked the doors. 

Amanda's hand found the handle, which she used to swing the door to the driver's seat open. The once muffled blubbering became clear bawling. Such devastation was felt every time the group experienced loss. But this time, things were a little bit different. Jasminka wouldn't even be given a proper funeral. Hell, she was still out there and would turn. They left her without a bullet to the head. They left her to wander about aimlessly in this dreaded world. The thought of that made piercing green eyes water. 

"Come here," the usually brash girl whispered. Soft and gentle was almost never found in Amanda's voice. However, she figured that they could all use a break from that for now. Her hands reached around Akko's waist to unbuckle her restraint. It zipped backward and clacked against the retractor. 

Immediately, Akko turned to face her. A split-second of seeing her best friend's face caused Amanda's heart to drop. Face red, wet with tears, utterly disoriented; it was a difficult sight to see. Leaders should be strong at all times... or so one would think. This moment of weakness from Akko was the first anyone in the group had seen in months. 

"Come," Amanda repeated. Her arms were wide open in expectancy.

Akko would have happily accepted a hug on any other day. Something deep within her was holding her back. She was already crying so her feelings about what had just occurred were out in the open for all to see. Right now, she didn't feel like she deserved to be comforted given that she had allowed another friend to die. As a pro at setting down her pride, Akko wanted to punch herself for feeling this way. 

The other members of the group had left the cars. They now stood around them, flashlights and weapons raised. If anything were to come out of the dark right now, they would have more than just a crying girl on their hands. 

"And you guys call me stubborn." Amanda flashed her watery eyes and laughed a little bit. She leaned forward to embrace Akko. There was a little resistance from the brunette, but not enough to prevent Amanda from fully enveloping her in support. "Are you okay?"

Akko said nothing. A grim expression appeared causing concern to flood over the rest of the girls. Noticing this, she shakily inhaled. "It's fine, really."

"It's obviously not fine." Frowning, Amanda looked down at her. "It's okay to be sad y'know. Jasminka was..." she took a deep breath before continuing, "Jasminka was our friend."

"Yeah and now she's dead," Akko spat in response. More tears were released. She turned her head away from her companion.

"Hey," her eyes narrowed, "who was it who told me to have more respect for the dead?"

"Me... but it doesn't matter; not anymore..." Akko mumbled, fidgeting in her arms. The feeling of dread and sorrow somehow wouldn't leave her. She knew that she had to stay strong but right now, she just felt like crying. If it had been her then certainly Jasminka would be trying to pacify and cheer up everyone. Would Jasminka be feeling this way? She honestly wasn't sure, but if anything, she definitely wouldn't be moping around feeling sorry for herself and Akko. "She's just gone..."

"Akko, Jasminka will always be with us," Lotte reassured. Red eyes glared in her direction. Even in the dark, she could see the dull expression contorting to a rather angry one. That definitely wasn't what Akko wanted to hear right now. Lotte gulped and shrunk back, regretting that comment. 

"This is all my fault," Amanda released her, "if I had just listened to you and left that door alone..." 

"Hey now-" Akko was about to respond when she heard an unanticipated voice join the conversation.

"How could you have possibly known?" Sucy spoke up in her usual dreariness, surprising everyone. She bit her lip and stared down at her feet, showing uncertainty for the first time since they had run out of food several months back. Reassurance from Sucy wasn't something that Akko had expected at all. For that reason, the irrational rage building within her was quickly doused and replaced with a feeling of nothing. Utterly blank once more as she listened to what Sucy had to say. "You don't see something like that every day."

"But it doesn't matter. I messed up and I'm sorry." Fists clenched, Amanda tried to look Akko in the eye. But their leader just wasn't having it right now; she was deep in thought. "I'm sorry..."

Suddenly, the realization that she may have just killed Jasminka flooded over her. She might have just killed one of her best friends because of her own idiocy. It took everything within Amanda to maintain her mental stability. Someone had to be in their right mind right now. Right now, she was trying to get them back on the road. Weight tugged on her heart and mind. Guilt, it was. Had she just listened to Akko, then they never would have escaped so urgently. Walkers would have never bitten Jasminka. Jasminka would be here with them right now. 

For a while, they stood in silence. Each of the five survivors remained still, attempting to process their own thoughts. The atmosphere was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Only the faint chirping of crickets could be heard. 

Akko tilted her head downwards as she pondered what to say. This blame-game that was happening was stupid. They could play this later when they could argue over each other without worrying about drawing an unnecessary crowd of the undead. 

Meanwhile, Amanda must have been thinking the same thing. She saw the American open and close her mouth repeatedly. Both she and Akko knew that there was nothing that could be said that would ever be considered "right". Akko was almost tempted to herd everyone into the car so that they could get a move on. However, she really didn't want to drive with everyone on edge. It was common sense that when trying to calm anxious people, you don't scream at them. She decided to wait and see how this played out. 

"No," Lotte shook her head. She removed her glasses to wipe a few tears away. "If I hadn't tripped, then Jasminka wouldn't have had to cover m-"

"Stop it," Akko grumbled. This wasn't going in the direction that she wanted. Irritation swept over her. Hadn't they already been through this? It wasn't anyone's fault.

"But Jasminka wouldn't have died if I had just-" Lotte cut herself off and continued to weep for Jasminka. 

"I don't think Jasminka would want us fighting over who killed her," Sucy stated bluntly. A scowl made its way onto her face. "It's stupid."

"Jasminka would still be alive if I hadn't been so fucking dumb," Amanda fumed. She now glowered at everyone, including Akko. "And if we had all been watching more carefully-"

"It was no one's fault," Akko snapped, effectively cutting Amanda off. She felt like a hypocrite since she had literally just mentally blamed herself for letting Jasminka down. Tears still flowed down her face, but she didn't care. "We can blame ourselves, fine. But the moment we start pointing fingers," she paused for a moment trying not to choke on her own emotions, "is the moment that we all fall apart as a team."

"But Akko-" Amanda started, clutching her right arm. She squeezed it in frustration. Her nails began to dig into it, drawing blood. She made a quick mental note to cut them later. 

"No buts, god damn it!" In the heat of the moment, Akko slammed her fist on the steering wheel. 

 

**Beeeep!**

 

"Shit." Big mistake. Akko's eyes widened in realization as to what she had just done. Regret instantly stabbed her. She ripped her hand away like she had just been burnt. 

_Snap._

Instantly, Constanze, Sucy, and Lotte pointed their weapons at the woods. Amanda looked around frantically, searching for any threats of danger. Her eyes scanned their surroundings but found nothing. Constanze directed a flashlight there to reveal a walker creeping out of the bushes. Its intestines dangled from an open wound in its stomach and its face was dirty and stained with blood. Sucy was just about to open fire when a shout erupted.

 

"Constanze!" 

 

Somehow, a walker had snuck past them. It had long dirty-blonde hair, partially yanked out and its scalp was visible and bloodied. Constanze jolted as it roughly took hold of her arms. Overgrown nails dug at her coat, causing panic to rise from within her. But this... this definitely couldn't be a repeat of a mistake.  

Akko shot out of the Jeep, hunting knife in hand and long brown hair flowing behind her. Her feet pounded against the pavement of the road. In seconds, she had plunged her weapon into the top of the walker's head. She clenched her jaw as she forced it in with all her might. It almost got a bite out of Constanze's neck when it froze. Only when she heard utter silence did she dare relax her strength and begin to pull the knife out. 

Constanze hesitantly turned around, eyes wide and sweat dripping down her face. Ever so slowly, she nodded in gratitude to her savior. Her eyes glanced downwards to the dead corpse at her feet. She flinched when she felt weight on her head. The small girl looked up and into Akko's deep red eyes. They were confident, somehow glimmering even in the shadows of night.

Akko gave her another head pat before she lunged at the walker coming out of the woods. She left Lotte and Amanda to check up on Constanze and make sure that she was okay. From behind her, she could hear them mumble words of support and comfort. Knowing that Constanze would be okay was what drove Akko to twist her knife through the side of the walker's head. An effective blow which shattered the temple.

The walker fell, limp and lifeless to the ground. Now, the only sounds present were Akko's long inhales and exhales as she fought to catch her breath. Her shoulders rose and fell with each and every puff of air. The knife was sheathed and back at her holster.

"Akko?" Lotte called out from kneeling beside Constanze. She stopped stroking her back and looked upward. "Are you okay?"

Silence. Worry had begun to sweep over the group until their leader began to walk towards the car. 

"If we're here any longer, we'll get eaten up," Akko stated firmly. She looked back at each and every one of the girls. They were frozen in place and were probably trying to process the rush of events that had just occurred all at once. "Well? Let's go!"

No one dared object Akko when she was finally stepping up as their leader once more. A smile appeared on Amanda's face. Their leader was back and she would likely be here to stay. She supposed that it took a rush of adrenaline and the threat of losing another comrade for Akko to come to her senses. Meanwhile, Lotte and Sucy exchanged relieved looks. They followed Akko to the Jeep and loaded themselves in. 

"Cons," Amanda gave the said girl a slap to the back. This caused her to jump in shock. "I know things are moving super fast and you sorta almost died, but it's dark out and we really should getta move on. Things like this happen," she contemplated how to finish her pep talk quickly. She couldn't help feel a sense of urgency, especially when she heard Akko start her car. "We can handle this later, okay? Akko just sounded a fucking dinner bell for the undead and they're totally going to start gathering here." 

When Constanze didn't move a muscle, Amanda picked her up. Normally, Jasminka would be here to soothe and coax everyone back on the road. But she wasn't. Deep down Amanda knew that they'd have to ignore that for now and mourn later lest they all be caught off guard in their grieving. What they needed was a safe place to rest for the night and they'd never find it if they stayed here. Amanda placed Constanze in the passenger seat and closed the door. She rounded the minivan to the driver's seat where she sat down and started the car. She gave one last glance at the bewildered girl. Constanze stared straight ahead, completely wordless. Amanda heaved a sigh and pressed the gas. 

This time, Akko took the lead. Amanda began to follow the red Jeep which seemingly glowed in her headlights. She blinked away tears that threatened to form. She had nearly lost Constanze too. What kind of friend was she? She couldn't protect Jasminka and she almost couldn't protect Constanze. 

No.

It was Akko who had saved Constanze in her time of need. Moments ago when the walker was assaulting her friend, Amanda had frozen up. She certainly could not have reacted as quickly as Akko. The thought of it frustrated her, hands clenching around the steering wheel accordingly. If she couldn't even protect the ones she loved, then who was she to stand by Atsuko Kagari? Amanda may have not cried since Jasminka's death, but surely Akko had displayed more bravery. This self-doubt was beginning to disgust Amanda. She decided to count the number of lines between her minivan and the red Jeep traveling ahead of her. 

 

* * *

 

"How far away is the next town?" Akko inquired. She kept her eyes on the road and unfortunately, she found herself growing weary. All the emotional and physical turmoil was beginning to take a toll on her, and she was sure that everyone else was exhausted as well. If possible, she wanted to avoid sleeping in the cars on the side of the road. "Lotte?"

"Wait, please, I'm checking the map," she replied from beside her. She and Sucy had switched places since they had last stopped. Her hands fondled with a large roadmap. "I'm trying to figure out where we are..."

"Some navigation team you two are," Sucy rolled her eyes, "I think I've seen that same tree nine times."

"We're surrounded by wooded area," Akko gave a tired laugh at Sucy's attempt at a joke. She rubbed her eyes, blinked, and continued to drive. 

For what seemed like at least an hour, they continued on the one-way road. The weariness that ate at her was beginning to become unbearable. Lotte was drifting in and out of sleep, Akko could see her figure slumped against the door. Sucy, however, was a total night-owl, the only downside being that she wasn't the type of person to engage in meaningless chit-chat - unless it meant making fun of Akko. 

Tall trees whipped by in a blur on either side of the Jeep. It was almost hypnotic. The way that the trees surrounded them, passing by one after another. The way that the faded, worn-down yellow painted lines on the road were fed into her field of vision. The soft breathing of Lotte and the silence from Sucy as she read the ingredients on the back of a box of crackers for entertainment. Akko could feel herself beginning to drift off and decided that she'd ask Sucy to switch with her soon. 

_Thump!_

Something hit the windshield. It was loud, hard, and heavy. Both Sucy and Akko jumped in surprise. From the passenger seat, Lotte began to stir and awaken from her slumber. 

"What was that...?" Sucy mumbled, dropping the box of crackers. 

"Just a..." Akko trailed off. She figured it was a lone walker, but as it turned out, there were more. Increasingly more. In a panic, she swerved the car to the side of the road. "Guns out, out of the car. It's not a horde, more like a small group." 

Guns were cocked and doors opened. The headlights barely provided any source of light. In the dark, only the bright flashes of gunfire could be seen. There were at least fifteen walkers and at most maybe thirty. Nothing that they couldn't handle. When Lotte and Sucy had removed themselves from the Jeep, Akko unbuckled her seatbelt. Walkers were beginning to come near the car, but her two other group members bought her some time as she reached for a black and gray duffle bag. A PGM Hécate II and Arc were inside. She looked at the sniper rifle and then at her crossbow. Maybe she shouldn't test her patience right now. 

The brunette picked up Arc as well as her arrow quiver. Akko quickly strung and loaded the arrow. She quickly slammed a finger against a button on her dashboard, opening up the sunroof. As soon as she had stepped up onto the compartment in the front seat, she began to fire at any walkers that she could see. Silhouettes could be made out as walkers staggered in front of the car headlights. Her breathing slowed and her eyes narrowed as she desperately tried to calm her nerves in the chaos. When Akko could see the mangled profile of a walker in front of Amanda's minivan, she pulled the trigger.  

Meanwhile, Amanda was quick to respond. She slammed on the breaks before grabbing her rifle and stepping out of the minivan. In four shots, she took down four walkers that came at her in the dark. The headlights allowed her to see the dull, bloodshot eyes of the undead.  

Given Constanze's previously shocked state, she didn't expect to see the young mechanical engineering major fighting alongside her. Amanda could see the bright flashing from her rapid-fire. Face lit up by the shots from her Uzi, Constanze mowed through the mass. At some point, she had climbed up onto the hood of the car. 

Amanda shot her rifle once more, causing a head to explode in front of her. She wiped the blood from her face and reloaded her gun; the fluid left a smudge on her face. In annoyance, she shot two more walkers before glancing over at her small friend. "Hey, Cons! Be careful- it's dark out!"

Her eyes were bleak and she appeared to be too concentrated on shooting to notice. Amanda frowned, she didn't look good. Jasminka, that's who this was about. It was obvious that Constanze was taking her feelings out on the walkers. The girl was expressionless as she let bullets fly, not caring as to whether or not they actually hit crania. Amanda mentally debated whether or not this was a good thing. She shot at anything that dared approach the vehicle. Sure, Constanze was doing the group a favor by helping take care of this mob of corpses, but maybe she should stop before she does something too wild. Wild was Amanda's thing, not Constanze's. 

"Cons, we can handle these bastards! Go get in the car," Amanda shouted over the guns. 

Constanze obviously heard her as she turned her head slightly towards Amanda. Those deep green eyes of hers stared into her soul. Amanda felt a little bit of a shiver run through her body. Constanze looked away and returned to shooting. She reloaded and fired until a majority of what was in front of her was either completely dead or on the ground. 

 

* * *

 

Akko lowered Arc and whipped out a flashlight from her pocket. Light showed bodies littered all over the ground. There were at least six around the Jeep and when she shined the light in the direction of the minivan, her mouth fell open in surprise. A large mound of bodies had piled up in front of the vehicle and Constanze was the one who towered over them. 

No wonder Akko hadn't been able to see as many as she had initially seen. All of the walkers were being drawn to the submachine gun. That was no surprise, but what was surprising, was the fact that Constanze had taken out over half the pack. 

' _So talented..."_   she thought. 

 

_Glunk!_

 

"Whoa!" Akko jolted in surprise. A walker had come right up to the side of the Jeep. It threw its body into the passenger seat door with another thud. Startled, she dropped the flashlight she had been holding. She reached outwards and her hands scrambled to catch it as it fell. But she lost her balance and fell forward out of the sunroof of the red Jeep Wrangler.

A blast of ache shot through the back of her arms, the side of her face, and... her whole body. Everything felt momentarily broken when she hit the cold, hard pavement of the road. It took a few seconds for her to come to her senses and realize that the affliction didn't hurt as bad as she thought it did. She tested the movement of her arms and legs. They were definitely bruised, but not broken. 

The walker came at Akko. However, as quickly as it had pounced at her, it was shot down. Blood sprayed everywhere as bullets made swiss cheese out of it. It oozed out of the holes in its torso, splattering on the ground. Then, it was shot in the head. The gory corpse fell on her and for once, Akko was grateful for the fact that she couldn't see in the darkness. 

She heaved it to the side and gave a lengthy exhale when the heavy weight of the body was off of her. When it was slumped over next to her, she stood up. Akko staggered a little, fighting to balance herself on her feet. It proved to be quite difficult given that she was so shaken up from falling out of the car and nearly being bit.

Oh, what a mistake that was. 

In the sunless, pitch-black shadows of the night, Constanze aimed her gun at the wobbly figure. Without processing much thought, she shot at the dark figure near the Jeep. 

 

**_Bam! Bam! Bam!_ **

 

The first shot missed- but that didn't matter. Akko felt a sharp, unbearable pain in her far left side and another just below that. The second pain was just barely above her hip bone. She brought her shaky hands to where she now felt numb. Warm, watery liquid engulfed her skin, contrasting the cold outdoor air; she knew it was blood. 

It hurt. It hurt so much and yet she somehow felt like she couldn't feel it at all. That's when she began to lose consciousness. 

 

"...top! Stop!"

 

She could hear Amanda and the faint sounds of a gun being frantically reloaded.

 

"Akko!"  

 

She could hear Lotte shout her name.

 

"Constanze **stop!** "

 

Light. In all the darkness, suddenly light was being flashed into her blurry sight. She reached for it. But it was too late. 

 

Everything faded to black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Diana!  
> Sorry you didn't appear this chapter!
> 
> I was planning to squeeze out her appearance chapter today but as usual, trying to self-edit and finish this took longer than expected.  
> I suppose she'll just have to have a belated 'birthday' chapter?
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the support on the first chapter!  
> Things have been super chaotic and rushed, but I promise that after we get this Constanze-Akko crisis over, things will start slowing down to a better pace! Stick with me?
> 
> Bet you all thought that this was Constanze's death chapter, eh?
> 
> *Ah- also! Regarding Akko's situation. If you've ever seen TWD, then you might find that Akko's wound placement is more or less similar to Carl's in the beginning when he gets shot in the woods. This... this wasn't really intentional. A 9mm caliber from a submachine gun at a fairly short distance could totally kill you.  
> Originally the wounds were going to be in Akko's right chest, but this would probably cause her to bleed out and die. I would've had the bullets hit her shoulder or limbs, but I realized that a 9mm could shatter bone and I really, really didn't want to impair Akko for the rest of the story. Plus, I'm not a doctor and neither are the characters in this story so I couldn't take any chances with the ribs or stomach. *Diana is an epidemiology major pre-med student so I couldn't have her dealing with damage to critical organs. Even if she had the resources to deal with it, she likely wouldn't be able to save Akko, no matter how much of a prodigy she is. Luckily I'm bestowing upon her the ability to at least perform surgery given the fact that in canon LWA, her knowledge of magic is on par/surpassing that of the professors at Luna Nova. Gun-shot wounds are already tricky enough for experienced doctors to work with.
> 
> *Writing in third-person omniscient is really, really annoying. But starting from either the next chapter the chapter after that, I'll separate all perspectives by horizontal lines. I'll switch to third-person limited so that we don't get mixed up with all the "she, she, she" and "her, her, her". 
> 
> *Finally... I just want to clarify to anyone who might have missed it in the first chapter: Arc is not an OC. Arc is Akko's crossbow. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> -
> 
>  **Character Profile -**  
>  **Name:** Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger  
>  **Status:** Alive  
>  **Age:** 20  
>  **Weapon(s):** Uzi, Heckler & Koch MP7  
>  **Background:** German  
>  **Group:** Akko's team  
>  **Fate:** ?


	3. Are You Positive You're Blood Type B+?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two hours after the accident, the group comes across the closed gates of Luna Nova. With Akko coming in and out of consciousness and further bleeding out, Amanda decides that they'll seek refuge at the college despite the presence of another group. But it didn't take long for her to get caught.

  _It hurts._

 _It_ burns.

"Ow, OW, **OW**!" Akko's eyes snapped open. She began to scream and wail in agony. Frantically, her limbs began to thrash but they were quickly restrained by someone's hands. Through tears, Akko tried to make sense of what was happening. 

"Calm down, you're going to hyperventilate," a voice said softly. It was Lotte- she could recognize it immediately. "You're okay, you're okay," the voice soothed. 

" **I'm dying!** " Akko shrieked, throwing her head backward onto Lotte's lap to let out a loud animalistic screech. Her insides felt like they were being ripped apart. The entire left side of her body was being mauled by the injury. However, she obeyed her friend, knowing deep down that she may make things worse by whipping and kicking her arms and legs around. 

"We're going to find a safe place to stop," said Sucy over her shoulder. She was currently driving the Jeep and from the poor lighting, Akko could tell that it was still night, either that or it was early morning. "Make sure she doesn't open them."

"Alright." Lotte gave her a nod before pressing something into the wound. It was dense, somewhat hard, and it elicited another pained scream from Akko. Instantly, the brunette's hands flew over Lotte's and clawed at them. "Ah-- hey! Akko!" 

"What happened? Was I bitten? Am I going to die? Where are you taking me?" A stream of questions flew out of the said girl's mouth. Akko could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she craned her neck upward to see what was going on. Her eyes were met with a mess of blood - her blood -  and panic began to explode from within. Lotte stayed silent as she continued to press a ball of white cloth into her side. Though she knew that Lotte was trying to clot the bleeding, Akko couldn't help but feel the urge to dig at her side; it was killing her. "I got bitten. Oh my godohmygodohmygod-"

"You didn't get bitten!" Lotte exclaimed, wiping sweat from her brow. "You're going to be okay! Just go back to sleep. Try your best, please." 

"I can't," Akko sobbed. Her breathing was intense and heavy. She sucked in as much air as possible before exhaling a shaky breath in attempts to calm her rattled nerves. But no matter how hard she tried to focus and pacify herself, the pain was still there. It felt like a million knives were being jabbed into her abdomen. She would have tried to explain that she was physically burning in hell, however, all that would come out of her mouth were agonized cries and whimpers. 

"Oh no-" Lotte's eyebrows furrowed together as blood began to soak the cloth. She reached into a small red backpack and pulled out another rag. Upon pressing it into the wounds, Akko's lip quivered. 

"Stop! Stop! Stop! It **hurts!** " She howled at the top of her lungs. Her throat felt raw from all the screaming and her voice came out hoarse.

Akko's eyes clenched shut. She let tears roll down her face as she succumbed to the pain. And just like that, she passed out once more. 

 

* * *

 

Luna Nova. 

Amanda had heard of it before-many times, in fact-and from what she knew, it was considered one of the top ten best schools in the nation. In fact, her family had recommended that she apply there. But of course, why would Amanda ever do what someone tells her to for the sake of ' _her future_ '?

She swiftly parked the minivan outside the gate and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sucy follow her lead with the red Jeep. A big frown spread across her face as she noticed another vehicle. That shiny, clean white exterior that seemingly glowed, even in the dark, she recognized it as a high-quality car. Too high-quality. It was in better condition than any automobile that she had seen since the outbreak began. 

"Well fuck," the American cursed.

 

This could only mean one thing: someone was here.

 

"AaAAGH!" But now wasn't the time for that; they'd deal with it later. Amanda was reminded of that when she heard a shrill shriek erupt. Her head whipped in the direction of the Jeep. 

Lotte and Sucy were struggling to lift a newly awakened Akko and it was not going well. Waves of worry swept through her as she saw their group's leader scream, kick, and flail like a child throwing a tantrum. Pain caused the brunette's face to contort and Amanda could see it, even as she stood at a distance. She would have offered to carry Akko, but knowing that there was at least one other survivor at Luna Nova made her anxious. If her hands weren't available to fight, she wouldn't be able to protect the group. Right now, the group acknowledged her as its stand-in leader and Amanda wanted to act like it. 

"Cons, let's go," Amanda beckoned her, picking up her rifle. Beyond the massive gate, anyone could be watching them. To Amanda, every survivor was to be considered hostile until proven otherwise. 

Constanze, still feeling overwhelmingly terrible about the accident that had occurred, quietly obeyed. She carried her Uzi with extreme delicacy, keeping her finger far off the trigger, resting on the side of the gun, and aiming it downwards to the ground. Eyes trained straight forward, she didn't break focus. 

Amanda gave her a slow nod before proceeding to approach the gate. When she pushed, it wouldn't budge an inch, exactly what she had expected. Although it meant the place didn't welcome guests, it also meant that the campus was a potentially safe zone. But when did some mere metal bars stop Amanda O'Neil? 

As Lotte and Sucy tried to quiet Akko down, Amanda slung her rifle onto her back. She began to climb the gate, which loomed over here. The early morning sun was just barely beginning to peek out from the horizon. Amanda hoped that whoever was here was either asleep or, even better, away for the time being. 

The bars were smooth against her hands. She swiftly heaved herself upwards, slowing down when nearing the top. Carefully, Amanda moved to avoid the spikes of the gate. Since she didn't want to leave her back exposed for too long, she slid downwards part of the way and leaped to make up for the rest. Once her feet were on the ground, Amanda removed her gun from her back and walked over to investigate the inside of the gate. 

It was bound shut by thick chains which looked fairly new. There was no sign of wear, not even a single scratch could be seen. Someone was taking extra precaution as not to have any intruders. Perhaps the bind had just been placed today and if the person was that tight on security, then certainly they'd be patrolling th-

 

"Drop your weapons and turn around."

 

That voice was definitely female. A threatening voice with conviction-usually something she would think was amusing- boomed from behind her. Amanda steadily made a motion to put her hands in the air, however, that was not the plan. Instead, she whipped around to point her gun at the head of her enemy. 

There was nothing but dead silence as Amanda and her opponent stared each other down. Neither looked like they were going to slacken the grip on their firearms. Amanda's eyes narrowed at the sharp hazel orbs that bore into her own. The girl in front of her was not what she had expected to see. Rather than dirty, this girl's auburn hair was clean and neatly tied back into a ponytail with a bright yellow ribbon. She was slim and agile-looking with a bulletproof vest and open puffy winter coat on her body. 

"I can and I will shoot," the girl snarled. It was nasty with aggression and Amanda didn't like it one bit. Did this short girl seriously think that she had power over her? In the shadows, Amanda couldn't see her face very well; 'she's _probably some ugly bitch,'_   she thought. 

"It hurts!" 

"I know, just bear with me!"

"Ughnn!" Akko groaned as Lotte helped her to steadily move towards the gate. 

"Don't come!" Amanda shouted, refusing to break eye-contact with this stranger. "Get back to the cars!"

"There's more of you??" The stranger questioned, her voice was strained. Amanda could tell that she was evaluating whether or not she wanted to stay or run away. "And are there dead ones out there?"

"No, no..." It took Amanda a moment to realize that the girl was referring to walkers, "there are no dead ones, walkers, biters, nothin'."

"Then what was that moan?" She spat in response, shifting the gun in her hands, a rifle, just like Amanda's. It didn't look like the same model though. 

"My friend. She's been shot."

"What?? Where and how long ago?" The stranger inquired quickly. 

"What's it to you?" Amanda frowned and tapped her finger on the trigger. She dared not pull it though- not yet. When the stranger didn't respond, she took a deep breath. "A couple hours ago, in the gut." 

"What?! Has she gotten any medical help?" Suddenly, the girl's demeanor shifted. Amanda could sense a little bit of concern in her voice, but chose to ignore it. She had no idea what this person's intentions were. Maybe she was trying to find some sort of weak point in their group. Maybe she was trying to get Amanda to let her guard down so that she could shoot. 

"No," Amanda stated firmly. "Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way." She began to step backwards until she could feel the bars pressing into her shoulder blades. 

"You're just going to leave?" The girl asked, suspicion dripping from her voice. "Just like that?"

"Yep, just like that," Amanda replied coolly. "Why? Want me to stay awhile?" She said with heavy sarcasm. 

"No," the girl immediately spat. 

"Well then if you'd be so kind as to lower your gun, I'll climb this and be outta your hair in no time." Amanda felt bold and decided to take the first plunge, the first risk. She slid her rifle onto her back and put her hands up in surrender. 

"Oh-" Before the girl could get another word out, Amanda was already getting ready to climb. "Wait!"

"Whoa!" Alarms went off in Amanda's brain as she was suddenly yanked by the hood of her hoodie. "What the fuck?!" The tall girl almost swung a fist and hit the stranger when she noticed two things: The stranger’s gun that had been thrown to the ground and the desperation in those piercing hazel eyes. 

"Let me open the gates, we can save her," the shorter girl said firmly. The tone of her voice left no room for argument. 

"I don't know if I can trust you. I don't know if  _we_ can trust you." Amanda glared harshly. Though she was having a serious mental battle as to whether or not she wanted to accept help. 

"A-Amanda," a shaky voice called out from behind the gates. Both girls turned to see Akko, leaning on Lotte's shoulder. They were standing outside the barrier, watching. "I have something to say."

"Lotte, get Akko back in the car," Amanda barked. "I'll deal with this... woman." 

The stranger cautiously reached a hand backwards. Instantly, Amanda slipped her rifle off of her shoulders, ready to defend against an oncoming strike. The stranger halted her movements, staring equally as harsh as Amanda. 

"I'm just getting chain cutters. I'll let you and your friends in. Try anything and I'll kill you in a heartbeat," she said slowly. 

"We changed our minds, we don't want to be here," Amanda growled. "Now get your hand off my hoodie or I'll-"

"Amanda!" Akko shouted at the top of her lungs. When the said girl's attention was back on her, she cleared her throat and continued. "Innocent until proven guilty." 

"What?" She replied back in confusion. "She's delirious, Lotte. Take care of her." 

"Amanda, listen to me. We can't live the rest of our lives without trusting people. It's better to take a chance and regret rather than regret what could've been." Bright ruby-red eyes sparkled, further emphasized by the rising sun. Akko continued, "If you can't, then I will. I want to live, Amanda. I want to trust this girl. So let's believe in her, okay?"

That was one of many things that clearly distinguished Akko from Amanda. Before the outbreak, Amanda remembered being similar to her; she would've have gone with anything and anyone whether she trusted them or not with the shrug of her shoulders. But things change and so do people. Whenever the group came into contact with other survivors, Amanda had made sure to take all night-shifts and keep someone from the original six around at all times. The last time she had fully thrown her trust into a stranger was at the beginning of the outbreak. When the next day came, she found herself beaten bloody, stripped of all weapons and supplies, and left to be eaten alive by the dead. Had Akko's group not found her, barely holding off against the undead with just her fists and a rock, Amanda was sure that she wouldn't be here right now. 

For a minute, Amanda said nothing. She intended on hopping the gate and dragging everyone back into the car. That's when she saw Constanze, Sucy, Lotte, and Akko all staring at her through the metal bars with hope in their eyes. This could be a safe place, a new place to call home. The campus was big enough so that if they wished, they'd never have to see the other group. "Fine, do whatever you want." 

Upon stepping aside, the stranger began to cut the shiny silver chains away. In the early morning air, the only sounds were clinks and jingles as the binds holding the gate shut were removed. Even Amanda chose to remain silent as she and the others watched the auburn-haired girl work. Now that it was a tad bit brighter, she could see a sheen of sweat on the nape of the girl's neck. Such pretty alabaster skin had to be hiding some sort of dark, ugly sin underneath. 

Finally, the gate was opened. 

Amanda kept her eyes trained on the stranger as her friends entered. Akko flashed a smile that was not returned as she limped by, using Lotte to stay upright. Once everyone was through, the stranger shut the gate and bound it shut with metal chains that she had pulled from the pockets of her coat once more. When she was done, she turned to Amanda and the others.

"Follow me. If you try anything, your friend will never get help. She'll die and become one of them."

 

* * *

  

The girl's ponytail swished back and forth as she walked. Akko looked up at Amanda and saw that her eyes were locked on it, seemingly entranced by it. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing as the pain in her side ached too much. Earlier, she had overdone it when she was preaching to Amanda about trusting others. Whenever Akko so much as breathed, pain shot through her entire body. 

Her head felt fuzzy and her vision blurred every so often. Now she was certain that she had lost too much blood. The only thing that kept her from losing anymore was the load of cloth that Lotte had taped around her. Akko made a mental note to thank her freckled friend because if not for her, the blood would have never slowed. It took everything within Akko to prevent herself from passing out. Her body was crashing on her and it burned with every step. She felt dehydrated and weak in the bones.

The group was led across campus, past statues and a big fountain, into what appeared to be the main building. From there they were taken down hallways, empty and void of any blood, guts, gore, or rubble. It was a sight that the groups weren't used to seeing. 

At last, they arrived at some gargantuan dark brown wooden doors which looked like they held importance on the other side. But of course, Akko was in too much pain to be awed. Instead, she debated whether or not it would be bad to fall asleep right then and there. 

The stranger knocked on the door. After a brief moment of silence, it was opened. A girl with long black hair and bangs that swept the sides of her face stood before them. She looked extremely surprised to see them, almost horrified. 

"Barbara, we need a stretcher," the auburn-haired girl stated, but it was more like a command. 

Barbara eyed each and every one of them up and down with slight suspicion. However, something within her must have decided that now wasn't the best time for an interrogation. Without another word, she pushed past the group and rushed down the hallway. Her feet tapping lightly against the hard floor with every step. 

Akko and the others followed the stranger into a room. It was larger than she had expected and her boots sunk into the soft snow-white carpet spread over the floor. The walls were a light gray and dark mahogany bookshelves were lined against them, filled with colorful books of all sorts. Akko swung her head upwards to see what was ahead. 

Mahogany, only the finest and among the most expensive of wood, as rich and dark looking as a bar of premium chocolate-oh how wonderful it would be to taste that again-made up an executive desk which sat in the middle of the room. Behind it, a large bay window which provided light and surely an astounding view of the campus.

In a chair, sitting at that magnificent desk, was yet another girl. However, this one was... not like the others in Akko's opinion. It was one thing to see pictures of gorgeous models on magazines, Akko had seen plenty. Though her bullet-wounds hurt enough to make her want to scream and cry once more, the mere sight of this girl quite literally took her breath away. Eyes half-lidded due to exhaustion and two hours of passing out, waking up, sobbing, and passing out again, Akko gazed on. 

She was a natural beauty. There was no doubt there. She wore no eyeliner, no blush, nothing; she wore no makeup at all. From the way her platinum blonde hair twisted and curled around her face and past her shoulders to her posture and brilliant sky blue eyes, she was a wonderful sight to see. Akko could not remember the last time she had wistfully stared at something and thought that it was breathtaking. She immediately felt an urge to protect such beauty from contamination of the ruined world, more so when she had actually momentarily forgotten about the burning agony in her body. 

Those eyes did not meet hers, in fact, they looked away at the stranger with auburn-hair. Akko stared on at her eyes, which resembled the cool clear waters of an ocean or river. The sight was ethereal and appalling, Akko found that her jaw had slightly dropped. She quickly shut it, looking on at the girl sitting at the desk. Her skin was pale like the purest of snow and her eyebrows were natural yet somehow sharp, perfectly accentuating her face. Then- 

"Hannah, who might these guests be?" Then the blonde spoke, cutting off Akko's train of thought in an instant. It was eloquent, carrying a very dignified air. Akko could say nothing in utter amazement at the person in front of her. 

"The perimeter is secure. When I came near the front, these people were here," the stranger responded. "As much as I hate it... they... they need our help, Diana."

"Very well," Diana nodded. Was that pride in her eyes? Akko swore she saw a warm expression appear on her face for a split second. Diana spoke again, "Who's your leader?"

Akko caught Amanda's eye. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath, readying herself to speak and praying that her voice would come out strong. Suddenly, the pain was back and she could feel her head getting woozy. Akko bit her lip as not to cry out, her voice was pretty much worn out anyway, but she didn't want to make the group look bad. 

"I am." 

All heads turned to look at Amanda. She spoke with such strength and certainty that Akko herself had almost believed it. 

"Diana, we don't have time for this," the one called Hannah suddenly spoke. 

"I beg your pardon?" Diana's eyes narrowed. "I am trying to inspect these newcomers to determine whether or not they are safe to keep around. Should they not be trustworthy, they should leave immediately."

"The brunette's been shot." 

Upon hearing that, the girl stood up from the chair she was sitting in. She scanned the group of people and Akko twitched when she looked at her with those piercing blue orbs. Suddenly, the door behind them flew open.

"I got the stretcher, what's it for?" Barbara rolled the medical transportation device through. 

"You," Hannah turned to look at Akko, "get on." 

"...okay." Lotte and Amanda assisted in helping their secret leader sit down on the stretcher. Akko felt her heart rate speed up ever so slightly as Diana began to approach her. 

"Ow!" Akko choked back a scream as gentle hands swiftly tried to remove her winter vest. Right now, her body was so sensitive that any more stimulation would push her over the edge. This was it- she was seeing black and blue spot her vision. She was definitely going to pass out now. 

Her vest was pulled back to reveal blood-stained cloth taped around her waist. Akko looked down and saw it, instantly reminding her of the bullets still present within her body. Surprisingly, there had been no exit wound, thus, she was certain that they were still there. That unbearable pain was beginning to destroy her, it had been a wonder that she had been able to stay composed for so long. Once her mind settled and focused on the pain, it felt even worse. Akko started to release a shriek, but it was cut short when she fainted. 

 

* * *

  

"Are you two sure that you know what you're doing?" Sucy glared holes into Diana and Hannah. They had moved to a laboratory within the college in order to operate on Akko. There, all the necessary equipment and medication were available.

Hannah frowned and glared back before proceeding to frantically dig through a cabinet. Diana, however, simply nodded. She did not look at the other girl as she started removing the cloth from Akko's side. "Answer me," Sucy demanded in her emotionless voice. 

"Diana's an epidemiology major and pre-med student. She's also considered a prodigy. It might not have been her focus, but surgery is something she definitely knows. If it's Diana, then she knows exactly what to do. We too are... experienced at this point. Barbara was in nursing and I was studying emergency medicine before the infection spread," Hannah replied loudly. Akko had woken up again and was now screaming at the top of her lungs. But because of her dry throat, it was weak, contrary to the intense pain she was feeling. Hannah stuck an IV in Akko's arm to administer 1mg/kg of methohexital. 

"What is that?" Amanda inquired. She leaned up against the back wall and anxiously tapped her foot against the ground.

"Anesthetic. I'm sedating her so she's not awake while we operate. We’re going to check for exit wounds but given what we saw earlier, the bullets are probably still inside her. If she screams and thrashes around while Diana's trying to remove a bullet, a blood vessel could tear," she explained quickly. "Now could you all leave?"

"Hannah," Diana scolded as she and Barbara removed their patient's shirt. Akko's eyes were beginning to flutter shut and seconds later, she was out cold. "I do believe that you should all go wait outside for the time being. I don't have any intentions of offending anyone, but we can't afford any distractions." 

It seemed that the group was struggling to process the idea of leaving their friend in the hands of these strangers. However, Akko herself had announced previously that she was willing to put her life in their hands. That was enough to get Lotte, Sucy, and Constanze out of the room. Amanda, on the other hand, seemed extremely unhappy about the idea of leaving. She stood her ground and continued to watch Hannah check Akko's blood pressure and heart rate. 

Diana ignored this and proceeded to search the punctured flesh for the bullets and any damage to intestines. In total, she noticed two entry wounds and no exits; the projectiles were certainly lodged within and would have to be removed. "She's going to need a blood transfusion. Barbara, are you done with that blood tests?"

"The patient has blood type B+," the response came quickly. Barbara documented that the blood had reacted with antibodies B and D on a notepad. "It's not uncommon, fortunately."

"Is there anyone compatible with her here?" Diana frowned as Barbara thought for a moment and then shook her head. She made her way over to a large freezer in the corner of the room. "Alright, then."

"What's up with that?" Amanda asked out of curiosity.

"There was a blood drive on campus before the outbreak. I just so happened to have stored bags of blood in a freezer space," Diana explained. She pulled two blood bags from the freezer before realizing her blunder. Her hands clenched around the icy frozen liquid. She most certainly was not ready to let another life slip by; not on her watch, that is.

"How does it work?" It had been a year since Amanda had seen any sort of electrical device.

"It's solar powered," Hannah responded to Amanda. The two of them watched as Diana discarded the bags. "And Diana..."

"Yes, freezing blood kills the cells, I apologize for allowing it to slip my mind." She rubbed her temples in frustration. "Girls, are you sure that no one here is B+ or O+?"

"I'm blood type B+," Amanda said. The heads of the other three girls in the room snapped towards her. Barbara was the first to look back at what she was doing, swiftly scribbling notes about Amanda's blood type. Diana subtly let out a sigh of relief and Hannah dropped a needle she was holding. It almost fell to the ground, but Diana snatched it up and set it on a nearby countertop.  

"You," Hannah marched over, "are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Why the bloody hell didn't you say something sooner?!" Her hazel eyes met her pale green eyes as she shouted. 

"Hannah, now is not the time," said Diana. The current 'surgeon' in the room turned to the American."We need your blood now before I can remove these bullets and close the wounds. This could potentially take a long time, will you donate your blood and time to me?"

"Whatever it takes." Amanda shed her black leather jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the dirty, blood-stained white dress shirt she wore underneath.

"Are you sure? We're going to need a lot," Hannah warned. She stopped cleaning blood off the skin around the bullet holes on Akko's torso.  

Without hesitation, Amanda nodded and gave her final confirmation.

 

"I ain't afraid of a needle." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!  
> I'd like to express gratitude for the kudos as well! Comments are always appreciated, I enjoy reading them!
> 
> As the end of the school year approaches, I've had more time to write. Which is why I'd like to warn you not to expect 2-3 day updates. But for now, just enjoy ^ ^
> 
> Anyways~ Happy friday! Once again this was 1-2k words longer than I had initially intended it to be. But hey, at least we're getting somewhere!
> 
> Originally, I was going to type out the entire surgery scene but I figured that no amount of research would allow me to thoroughly and accurately write that. Now that the chaos has died down, things will take on a WAY slower pace (hopefully). 
> 
> Once again, the duty of the Cavendish to act in a "selfless" manner plays a big part in this fanfic. Diana, unlike Barbara and Hannah, is more eager to help fellow survivors. However she understands that the Luna Nova campus is a brilliant safe haven and therefore typically investigates each individual as to ensure that they won't stab them in the back. She's been especially careful since an incident that will be mentioned later on. 
> 
> Next chapter will involve some diakko and a little bit of hamanda bonding moments as well as a little bit of a twist. 
> 
>  
> 
> -
> 
>  **Character Profile -**  
>  **Name:** Atsuko "Akko" Kagari  
>  **Status:** Alive  
>  **Age:** 20  
>  **Weapon(s):** Cross bow "Arc", hunting knife, PGM Hécate II (rarely ever used), various handguns  
>  **Background:** Japanese  
>  **Group:** Akko's team  
>  **Fate:** ? Alive but shot twice in the left region of the waist by Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger


	4. Gratitude and Attitudes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko wakes up to see her doctor. Having been operated on and drugged, Akko finds herself confused as she converses with the other girl.  
> Meanwhile, Amanda waits just outside the door; a certain someone comes to check on her.

A delicate, fluid sound of a fountain pen on paper.

Aside from that, the room was completely silent. Akko's ears twitched as the soothing sound continued to fill her ears. It had been a very, very long time since she had felt this peaceful. Her eyes flickered open and she found herself staring at the blank ceiling. The room was dark and the only light present appeared to give off an orange-yellow glow, which was cast upon the ceiling she looked.

As the brunette slowly turned her head towards the source of the light, she realized that her torso was completely numb. Since when did her body feel like this? It took a moment to recollect some thoughts and memories. That's right-- she was shot by Constanze and a gorgeous blonde undressed her.

Akko crossed her eyes momentarily and thought. As appealing as that sounded, something about that didn’t seem realistic. Nope, a gorgeous blonde performed surgery on her. That sounded like a better way to describe it. She mentally nodded to herself before wiggling her fingers. Akko gripped the sheets and with shaky arms, made an attempt to prop herself upwards. The pen-on-paper noises halted.

"You're awake," a feminine voice said, breaking the silence.

"Whoa!" Surprised, Akko slipped and fell on her back again. _Thunk!_ She smacked her head on the headboard of the bed she was laying on. "Oww..."

A chair slid backward across the floor and whoever was in the room with her moved out of her field of vision. Akko could see a simple wooden study desk with contents neatly organized on top of it. On the wall it was pushed up against, there was a window which, from where she was laying, provided a tilted view of the dark sky. It must've been late in the evening-- she had been out cold for the entire day.

"Careful," the voice chided gently. Clothing rustled and footsteps came closer and closer. They stopped at about her right side. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm," Akko coughed, blinking several times and trying to shake off the pain, "I'm alright!"

"Do your wounds hurt?" At last, Akko finally recognized that elegant voice. When the eye floaters cleared from her vision, she saw captivating platinum-blonde locks in the corner of her visual field.

"I can't feel anything," she replied slowly. Resting back on a pillow, Akko slowly turned her head towards the person whom she recognized to be the Diana girl from the day before. She was sitting on a wooden chair at the side of the bed, clothes clean, posture neat and upright, and with an expression that was emotionless yet intriguing. The soft glow of what was a candle on the desk behind her caressed her hair and facial features in the dark. The young lady sat with her left facing to Akko, however, her head was tilted in a way so that the two were locking eyes.

"That is actually a good thing to hear." Diana nodded. "Before you ask: you were put under so that two implanted bullets could be removed. Then, I sterilized the wound, stitched it, and numbed the pain."

"Huh... so where am I?" Akko noted a definite change in surroundings. This room didn't seem like a laboratory, rather it looked like a bedroom. She rolled her head the other way so that her chin now touched her left shoulder. There was a single door, which likely led to an outside hallway, and a painting of Yggdrasil, a legendary tree that she had remembered to be from fairytales. Akko rotated her head back to the doctor in the room.

"One of the vacant dorm rooms here at Luna Nova. Your companions have settled into other living quarters," Diana replied. "I separated you from them so that you might be able to recover in peace. They were outright worried about you."

"Thanks," gratitude filled Akko's eyes. Not only was she thankful for the girl's consideration, but she was also extremely happy to be alive. “You’re a real lifesaver- literally!"

"You're very welcome," she said. For the first time, Akko saw the tiniest smile grace Diana's lips. Vermillion eyes soaked it up in pure astonishment and ever-growing delight. Noticing this, Diana looked down at her with slight concern.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nope." The Akko’s cheek sunk into the softness of the pillow. It smelled fresh and clean, much unlike the ruined world she had grown so accustomed to treading through. She looked upwards in pure admiration of the other girl. How could someone like this possibly exist? Akko laid there with her arms resting by her sides, gazing up at those crystal-clear blue orbs. Words then tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them. "Your smile is beautiful."

Silence. Akko felt anxiety rise from deep within her. Had she messed up? Had she just ruined a pleasant moment? Akko tried to read Diana's expression. Her eyebrows were raised slightly in surprise and the aforementioned smile on her face had disappeared. It definitely did nothing to make Akko feel comfortable.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Diana finally stated, eyes staring coldly down at her.

A nervous giggle slipped out, eyes darting off to the side. "Eh… well-- I guess I just had to say it." The brunette’s cheeks became a rosy red and the heat she felt made her want to kick the blankets off and away.

“...”

“...”

Another brief moment of Akko simply laying on her back and Diana sitting quietly beside her passed. Despite wanting to say something, Akko couldn't think of anything.

"I never did catch your name. Might I ask what it is?" Diana spoke. "I haven't had a chance to meet your group members properly yet. Hannah and Barbara are the ones who tended to them," she explained.

"Kagari Atsu-" She paused, remembering that westerners reversed the name order. "Atsuko Kagari. But you can call me Akko!"

"Pleased to meet you... At-sue-koh... Atsu-ko... Atsuko. Atsuko Kagari." Diana uttered her name several times, trying to pronounce it properly. It was actually impressive how little time it took for her to get it right. To this, the Japanese girl’s eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. Usually people gave up on pronouncing her name before they could correctly say it.

"Yeah, Atsuko!" Akko flashed her a toothy grin, shifting underneath the blankets as the numbness from earlier began to fade. Now her side was throbbing with pain, though not at all bad as it had been in the early morning. To take her mind off of it, she tried to continue to conversation.  "Akko might be easier to say. What's yours?" Of course, she already knew, but something in her just wanted to hear the blonde introduce herself.

"Diana Cavendish." The response came with pride that Akko could just barely detect. It was refined like she had presumed it to be; it sounded like a powerful name.

"You have a pretty name."

"Would you please stop that? Flattery will get you nowhere," Diana repeated, shaking her head and sighing.

"So wait-- does this mean that you've been watching over me this entire time?" Akko inquired suddenly, changing the subject.

"Yes, that would be the case." The response came out a little more hushed than before.

"Thank you." Akko didn't know if Diana could tell, but she really meant it with all her heart. These days, pure kindness from strangers was hard to come by. She almost didn't know what to do to show how grateful she was. But for now, she decided to settle with verbal expressions. “Really, I owe you big time,” she said.

"Of course. I had to ensure that your condition was stable." Diana crossed her arms.

"Well, thank you! I'm glad you did!" Akko flashed another smile.

"Why do you trust me?" Diana wondered, eyebrows knitting together ever so slightly. "You don't even know me. Wouldn't knowing that a stranger was present while you were in your most vulnerable state make you uncomfortable?"

"What makes me uncomfortable, Diana, are my injuries. I can feel them now and they itch," Akko teased. When the other girl didn't laugh or so much as bat an eye, she heaved a sigh. Deciding that she didn't want to lay on her back anymore, the brunette planted her elbows into the mattress and began to sit up. Akko steadily leaned back against the headboard and propped herself against it. When she had settled, she turned her head and answered Diana's question seriously, "You're not just a stranger to me- not anymore. You're the doctor who saved my life. Why would you save me just to hurt me?"

"Well, first off, I am not a doctor. I'm simply a pre-medical school student who just so happened to know what to do. Hannah and Barbara also played crucial roles in your operation. Secondly, what if I had only done what I did so that I could take advantage of you in the future? Do you not think that I could use this against you?" Diana looked skeptical of her.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit. You don't seem like the type of person to do that." Akko cocked an eyebrow.

"Just the opposite, I believe you're giving me too much credit." She frowned. "And what would lead you to believe that?"

"I can just tell. I know what a good person looks like. I trust you." It was no lie and the brunette hoped to prove it.

"That's bold of you to say, Atsuko," Diana commented; her demeanor did not change. It seemingly challenged Akko's every word. "I merely provided medical care in your time of need. Aside from that, how could you know for sure whether or not I am a ' _good person_ '?"

"Do I need to have a reason for everything? I trust you and that's that," Akko huffed in slight annoyance.

"I suppose that you're entitled to feel that way." Diana stood up. "I will go and inform your friends that you're awake. You must be hungry and thirsty as well. I'll send Barbara in a few moments with your dinner."

"Oh..." The Japanese girl watched her move across the room to the door, a hint of disappointment in her voice. On the way, Diana swiped up the fountain pen and the notebook that woke Akko from her slumber.

Just as Diana was about to exit, she looked over her shoulder. "By the way, when you see your leader, be sure to give her your thanks."

"Leader..." Akko tried to process what that meant. She was the team's captain, there was no doubt about that. Akko's eyes flickered down to her bandaged stomach which was clean. While trying to remember what had gone down when they first arrived at Luna Nova, she hesitantly ran fingers over the thick gauze pad on the left side of her waist. It had been changed recently, probably by Diana. For a moment she feared that her memories would not come. Then it hit her-- Amanda was posing as the leader for the time being. "What for?"

"You lost quite the amount of blood before and during the surgery. She donated three whole pints of blood to you as the only individual here capable of doing so," Diana elucidated.

"Amanda… She really did that for me?" She gaped.

"Yes, now let me retrieve her so that you can properly speak with her." With that, the door was closed and Akko was left in a familiar silence once more. She blinked trying to process her entire interaction with Diana.

Akko groaned and let her head fall back against the headboard. It shook and vibrated for a few seconds. Some part of her wished that Diana had stayed a little longer. She wanted to talk more but she quickly reassured herself that the opportunity would pop up again soon-- it would, right? Another part of her reflected on the conversation aspect. Akko wished that she could go back and redo it so that it wasn't so awkward. Why did her first ever talk with Diana have to be when she was a dazed mess? She wished that she could've seen a bigger smile, maybe even gotten a laugh out of the blonde. Perhaps that would be a goal for the future. Something about her infatuated Akko; she wished she'd asked more questions about Diana.

She sighed and stared up at that plain old white ceiling. It was then that she found herself remembering the one pleasant part of the evening so far. The event, which happened to be Diana's smile, was replaying in her mind over and over again. Certainly, it kept her mind off the itching sensation caused by her stitches.

 _'Beautiful,'_ Akko thought.

 

* * *

 

 

Amanda sat on the floor of the hallway outside the dorm room Akko was moved to. Her back was pressed against the wall and her hands held her face. She felt light-headed and the world seemed to tilt despite the fact that she was sitting up straight; her entire body ached. After blinking several times, the stand-in leader let her hands fall to the cold, hard ground beside her. The wine-red carpeting was very thin and soft against her skin.

She looked downwards at a glass of orange juice and a plate of chicken with a chocolate chip cookie on the side. Amanda eyed the cookie, noting that it definitely wasn't freshly baked. But despite that, she acknowledged the fact that the other group either went through great means to find it or great means to store it. It originally came to her frozen, now it was room temperature. Much like the juice, which had come cold, and the chicken, which had come warm.

"Ugh..." Amanda groaned. Worrying about Akko had rendered her unable to eat, no matter how much she wanted to. Hours ago, a girl named Barbara Parker had brought her food to eat after she had donated the last of the blood necessary to save her best friend. The nursing major had gone on a tangent about what to consume after donating blood as well as a whole lot of smart-kid stuff that Amanda had tuned out the moment she began to explain the cookie. The only thing she remembered Barbara saying was that the cookie's not going to help her recover, it's just there as a reward. Everything else after that was just ignored.

Figuring that she should at least get some fluid back into her body, the short-haired girl reached for the juice. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overtook her. Amanda's hand missed the glass, knocking it over in the process. "Shit-"

"Ah! I got it!"

Amanda focused her unsteady gaze onto Hannah England, the stranger who had confronted her earlier in the day at the gates of Luna Nova. She was kneeling beside her and holding the cup in a firm grip. The juice within sloshed from side-to-side before coming to a stop.

"You should really be more careful. Do you know how long it took me to hand squeeze this?" Hannah released a sigh of relief and offered it to Amanda, who hesitantly accepted it.

"You made this?" Her eyes widened. "Where did you even get the oranges from?"

"When the disaster struck, we stored fruits and other perishables in the freezer. Anything else is grown in the Luna Nova greenhouse and gardens on campus," Hannah explained. The auburn-haired girl stood up and brushed her knees off before taking a seat next to Amanda. “It’s not much, but it’s something.”

"Nah that’s… that’s crazy. And the chicken?" Amanda stared down at the glass in her hands. It was bright and shiny with indistinct scratches that appeared only if you peered closely.

"There's a chicken coop on campus," she replied as if it were such a simple concept.

Normally it would be, if not for the fact that while avoiding the things trying to eat her, Amanda hadn't even thought about eating a creature herself. It had been so long since she had eaten fresh food that she was actually wondering if it was real.

"You seriously need to eat." Hannah scowled and picked up the plate. She held it delicately and tried to give it to her, but Amanda wouldn't take it. "Hey."

"I'm just tired, leave me alone," she snorted. With quivering hands, the orange juice was brought to her lips. It was sweet and incredibly rich, flooding over her dry mouth.

"No. You're going to get really sick." The other girl folded her arms. Sharp hazel eyes watched as Amanda finished drinking and set the empty glassware on the floor. "Barb should be doing this but she's not here... You'll have to make do with me."

"What...?" Amanda glanced up to see a forkful of chicken in her face.

"Open up," Hannah ordered.

"No. I'm not hungry," Amanda hissed, rubbing her temples. "Even if I was, I can feed myself. I don't need you."

"Are you a child? Look," she put down the utensil with a small _clink_ , "I'm trying to be nice here. You just had three whole pints of blood drawn. Like it or not, you need this."

"I don't need it. I'd rather die than give in to your 'generosity'," the American muttered. She used air quotes to emphasize her point, meekly lifting her arms to do so.

"Wh-- You're not giving into anything! You know what, Amanda, if not for me or yourself, then do it for your friend." Hannah stared her down.

"Her name's Akko." Amanda whipped her head towards her and glared.

"Then eat for Akko."

"Why ya gotta be so fucking annoying? Did you poison it or something-- is that why you want me to eat?" Amanda sneered. To her, this girl was a little bit too eager for her to eat. She stood up, nearly falling over due to the headrush, and then plopped herself back down, cross-legged, several inches away from the British brunette.

"If I was going to poison anything, it would've been your drink," Hannah spat in response. By now she was seething with anger and frustration. "I want you to eat so you don't get sick and die. Why would you think I'd try to kill you?!"

"When we first met, you pointed a gun at me and when I tried to leave, you wouldn’t let me. Ring a bell or two?" Pale green eyes attempted to bore their way into Hannah. She continued, "I don't trust you at all. It doesn't make sense why you'd save some strangers."

"Well, I don't trust you either! But Diana, Barbara, and I were studying to _help_ people before all this shit! I chose to let you in because it was the right thing to do... as much as I hate it," Hannah shouted.

Amanda was quiet while she thought about it. She mentally assessed the situation, trying to focus when all she could feel was dizziness. Hannah's breathing was ragged and harsh as she steadily began to calm herself down. Amanda found herself listening to it, feeling victory in the fact that this one time, she was not the one in the discussion to lose her temper. Hannah’s rage decreased Amanda’s anger for an inexplicable reason.

The two sat wordlessly. Neither of them could bear to look at each other anymore. At least five minutes must have passed when Amanda finally decided that she was actually really hungry. Five more minutes went by and she snagged up the fork in a blink of an eye. She could feel Hannah watching her as she gulped down the chicken.

"See, you were hungry," said Hannah. A sly grin appeared on her face.

"Shut it, England. Say some stupid shit one more time and I'll punch ya in the tits," she replied with a mouthful of the cold chicken. She angrily stabbed her food and continued to consume it.

"How crude!" Hannah gasped. Amanda couldn't tell if she was joking or if she was genuinely offended. Amanda didn't really peg her as the type of person to joke around with a stranger so she assumed the latter. Her thoughts were confirmed when the auburn-haired girl gave her the most disgusted look. "You could be a little more kind. Your friend wouldn't be alive if not for us."

"Don't get so full of yourself," Amanda laughed wearily. But deep down, she knew that was a fact. In all honesty, Amanda didn't expect Akko to live. She thought that maybe they'd come to Luna Nova and bury her in the enclosed grounds, given that no one in their group had any medical experience. "We would've been fine without you," she lied.

"No, she was close to losing over 30-40 percent of her blood by the time your group arrived here." Hannah's tone was suddenly serious. "Any more than that and she would have died. That Lotte girl... she's a quick thinker. If she hadn't stopped the flow, Akko would have died on the ride here."

Amanda said nothing. She took a moment to ponder the idea of Akko dying. A lump formed in her throat, causing her to swallow thickly. If Akko had died... she couldn't even begin to imagine it.

"Hey." Amanda felt a small hand on her arm. It just barely touched her as if cautious not to provoke rage. Though it was somewhat reassuring, she couldn't help but grow anxious. Amanda was almost tempted to swat it away. Noticing her discomfort, the owner of the hand swiftly withdrew. "She's still here and that's what matters, right?"

"I guess..." The American finished eating and put the plate off to the side.

Making conversation with someone who you don't know and are in debt to is difficult. Especially when that person is like you and also has a pretty bad temper. It's also difficult when that person is an _‘annoying bitch’_ who tries to mother you when your lack of blood is making it difficult to eat. According to Amanda O'Neil, that's the way things are. Thus, there was another moment of peace and quiet. Though it was more quiet than it was peaceful.

By now, the American had expected Hannah to have gotten up and left-but no, she was still nearby. Amanda could feel Hannah’s gaze on her. But everytime she tried to meet her eyes, Hannah looked away and pretended to be staring at the cookie on the empty plate. After a while, she began to feel irritated by the other girl’s constant sneaky glances. “Are you still here? What do you want from me?”

"Are you feeling okay? Are you tired? Are you dizzy? Are you experiencing any chest pains right now?" A stream of questions was suddenly flung her way as Hannah began to fuss over her. "Don't give me that look, I'm trying to make sure you're not in need of medical care."

"You’re very persistent,” Amanda snorted. Before Hannah could respond, she spoke again, “but then again, I can’t say I’m not like that either.”

“Stubborn? Yeah, you’ve made that pretty clear,” Hannah sighed and relaxed against the wall. She looked at Amanda. “What are you doing?”

“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” The said girl simply rolled her eyes. She split the cookie in her hands and threw one half at Hannah.

“Why?” Hannah questioned as she caught it in mid-air. She lowered the left hand she had seized with in order to inspect the baked treat.

“Yep. Ya ask too many questions,” Amanda grunted with a mouthful of cookie. “It’s just there as a reward,” she repeated what little words she had remembered from Barbara.

“I thought you hated me.”

“I do. But you helped us and you looked like you wanted it so enjoy it.” Amanda quickly gobbled up the rest of her half and brushed her hands off.

“I don’t want it.” She shook her head. “Besides, Diana’s the one who did all the work.”

“You… You’re not _not_ important.” Amanda unfolded her legs and stretched them out. A faint popping noise could be heard from her knees as they cracked.

“What?”  
“You heard me.”

“You mean I’m important? But you just told me I’m annoying and that you didn’t need us,” Hannah huffed, squinting at her.  
“Ugh, I’m too tired for this. Why do you have to question every single thing?” Amanda glared back.

The other girl paused for a brief moment. Amanda’s voice was heavy and her every word conveyed an immense amount of exhaustion. Her glare softened slightly when she noticed the dark shadows resting beneath Amanda’s eyes. It looked to her like the blood donor hadn’t slept a wink. Hannah wondered if it was only today that she had been awake or if it had been days since Amanda had actually gotten any proper rest. Perhaps she at least took a short nap since the blood transfusion?

“If I recall, you asked just as many questions.” Hannah shook her head and stared down at the cookie in her hands. “But thank-”

 

“Must you two argue over everything? Can you not hold a civil conversation without getting on each other like petulant children?”

 

“Diana!” Hannah exclaimed. Amanda jumped as she hadn’t even noticed the blonde break open the door and exit Akko’s room. The two of them looked up at her from where they sat on the floor. “How long have you been there?” Hannah inquired.

“Long enough to see that you two certainly both lack the ability to communicate in a mature manner,” Diana murmured. “Honestly, please behave respectfully towards one another. At least until we part ways.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Amanda’s brow furrowed. Piercing blue eyes flickered down at her.

“Ah- Miss…” she began before trailing off, not knowing the ginger’s name.

“Amanda O’Neil.”

“Atsuko is awake and I believe that she’s doing well enough to take visitors. You may go ahead while I go and retrieve the rest of your group,” said Diana in a business-like fashion.

It was as if Amanda was speaking to an actual doctor - she’d know since she had frequently broken bones as a kid. It was almost enough to piss Amanda off since that kind of formality reminded her of either her uptight family or some cocky know-it-all. But now an adult, even Amanda knew better than to pick pointless fights, especially fights with medics.

“Thanks.”

Diana stepped aside and as she did, Amanda stood up. Without another word, she entered the room that held her best friend. The door closed with a soft click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait-- my friend and I have been slowly editing this chapter for the past week. I figured I'd use this chance to get some character-character interaction. But... I sort of disregarded the fact that Akko's kind of delirious and Amanda's still recovering from the blood donation. Good thing conversations with new people are typically full of awkwardness, yes?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the Diakko!  
> We might be shifting into a borderline slow burn fanfic. I feel as if I can't just rush into romance before we plow through our next major part of the plot. So... I hope you'll stick with me even though the fluff, smut, and sugar might come later than intended. Thanks! 
> 
> *****IMPORTANT***:** I just realized that I set the ages of our characters to be far too young. Even though Diana's set to be 19, that would mean that she was 18 when the apocalypse began. I need her to have at least a year or so of proper schooling and thus I'm going to be slightly adjusting the ages. Apocalypse started when Akko was 19, she's 20 now, Amanda was 20, she's 21 now, etc.  
> Unfortunately, this means I can't just write about a bunch of stupid teenagers so I suppose I have to add a few years of maturity into my writing. What a shame... luckily both Amanda and Akko have excuses for acting like childish dipshits this chapter... right? I'm going to go back and edit some of the dialogue in previous chapters right now. 
> 
> Then again... my cousin and her roommate are in their 20s and frequently act like arguing middle schoolers. I just need to decide where to draw the line lmao. 
> 
> Character Profile -  
>  **Name:** Amanda O'Neill  
>  **Status:** Alive  
>  **Age:** 21  
>  **Weapon(s):** Remmington M700, spear, metal baseball bat  
>  **Background:** American  
>  **Group:** Akko's team  
>  **Fate:** ? Alive. Donated 3 pints of blood and hasn't slept properly in 24+ hours.


	5. Thotiana Cavenbitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group reunites and discusses where to go from here. Later, everyone is called together by Diana and Akko is livid.
> 
> (no this is not a filler chapter, it's anything but that so I wouldn't skip over it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TRIGGER WARNING*: Mentions and brief depictions of sexual assault
> 
> Hello, welcome back!
> 
> I hope that you've been enjoying Blood of a Fighter. Chapter 5, Thotiana Cavenbitch is by far the biggest chapter yet at a whopping 6k+ words. It's also probably... the one I'm most iffy on.  
> I've been working on it since May 14th, trying to figure out how to approach this... I had three people read through and edit to make it seem more realistic, but honestly I'm still not 100% confident in this chapter. Really, the last time I wrote anything, it was a little story for myself about some dumb teenagers who say and do stupid stuff. I swear, I think I've reread this chapter at least 20 times.  
> So, as mentioned earlier, Akko's character is somewhat difficult to work with. How would she act as a young adult? How can I move forward in the plot without making her seem like a total lunatic? Welp I sort of rolled the die and went with my gut instinct. Hopefully I can keep her in character better.  
> Anyways, enjoy!

“Rise n’ shine, sunshine… Well, kinda-- It’s 10:00 pm.” Akko lit up when a familiar face entered the room.

“Amanda!” She croaked out with glee. Upon hearing herself, Akko quickly coughed to clear her throat.

“The one and only,” the tall girl said with pride as she strode over to the chair by the side of the bed. Now that she had eaten, she was stronger, capable of at least looking that way to Akko. However, the brunette couldn’t help but notice that Amanda shuffled her feet across the carpet, moving in such a way that Akko worried she’d topple over with just a small push. “How ya holding up?”

“I’m feeling sooo much better!” Akko smiled. Hands yanked at the covers and her shirt to reveal a bandaged torso to Amanda. To prove her words, Akko tapped her fingers against the area where she had been shot. She felt physically sore but the wounds themselves didn’t hurt… as much as they could have. Since she didn’t want to worry anyone, Akko kept quiet about the pain. Hesitantly, she asked, “How about you? Are you okay?”

“Oh I’m fine. Why are _you_ worried about _me_?” Amanda laughed, sitting herself down. 

“What’s so funny? I’m really worried!” No matter how Amanda tried to hide it, Akko knew that her best friend must be feeling sick.

“I mean, you’re the one who got shot,” Amanda snorted. Her legs crossed and she sunk further down the seat, trying to move into a more comfortable position. “Seriously, it’s fine. I did it ‘cause I wanted to.” A very serious look crossed her face as she turned to meet Akko’s gaze. 

“Well… I want you to know that I appreciate it. I really do,” said Akko. Was she relying on Amanda too much? Was she relying on everyone else too much? It wouldn’t be surprising if there were more thanks to be dealt out in the near future.

“I know.” Amanda nodded. “So how’d it go with Thotiana Cavenbitch? I left before you woke up ‘cause the room was super tense and quiet with her there.”

“What’d she do to you? She was really nice to me.” Akko cocked an eyebrow and watched her friend smirk, proud of coming up with the spiteful nickname.

“Eh.” Amanda shrugged. “She just seems like a prissy little know-it-all. Yeah, sure she’s a doc, but something about her gets under my skin.”

“Okay, but that was kind of hateful,” Akko reasoned. 

“You literally called me a ‘stupid ass American bitch’ for eating some pudding last week.”

“That was _my_ pudding and I took down four walkers to get it,” the brunette huffed, folding her arms. “One almost bit me!”

“I said I was sorry!” Amanda threw her hands up in the air. 

“Wh— when?!” She squinted at Amanda, not believing it for a second. Maybe she was sometimes clueless, but she was pretty much never forgetful.

For a brief moment, the two of them were silent. “Pbbft-” Akko tried and failed to hold back a laugh. Soon enough, the two of them were laughing together. 

“All that for some pudding,” Akko howled as she recalled the event. “It was totally worth it though! I hope you enjoyed it.” 

“Y’know, I remember you coming back covered in blood! You scared the shit out of Lotte and Jas-” Amanda cut herself off. The Japanese girl froze at the mention of their fallen comrade. “...You scared the living hell out of Lotte,” Amanda finished.

“ **Akko!** ” 

 _Blam!_ The door slammed open and a blur of ginger rushed towards the bed. Akko smiled and opened her arms wide. Lotte practically jumped into them, crying in pure joy. Akko’s breath hitched and she bit the inside of her cheek to hide the blast of pain in her side.

“Speaking of the devil,” Amanda yawned.

“Are you talking about Lotte or Akko?” Sucy snickered. But Akko could tell that she was actually very relieved, more so when a small smile found its way onto that normally gloomy face. 

“Good to see you too, Sucy.” Akko chuckled, patting Lotte’s head. With her reputation for hanging off of Lotte while complaining about the most mundane things, this felt incredibly weird.

Sucy was teasing Akko, Amanda was making jokes, and Lotte was still crying, trying to compose herself. After several minutes of that, Constanze slowly approached the bedside. 

“Hey, Constanze!” Akko flashed her a toothy grin. She had no ill feelings towards the young engineer and she couldn’t even if she wanted to. The previous day was a difficult day for them all, Akko could understand that much. “What’s up?”  
“...” Constanze said nothing. She simply pulled out an envelope and gently placed it in Akko’s lap. With that, she sat down on the ground next to Amanda. 

“What is it?” Akko inquired, picking it up. 

“Constanze isn’t good with words, so you can read that. She wrote it just for you,” Lotte sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. 

“I see. Thanks,” Akko spoke softly. Her thumb brushed over the smooth paper. 

“Hey!” A new voice made the five heads in and around the bed turn. It called out to them in urgency. “Back off of that girl!” 

Barbara quickly set a tray, which Akko assumed was dinner, down onto the empty desk. Raven black hair swished back and forth as the nursing major approached them. She calmly took Lotte’s shoulders and guided her away. “I know that you’re happy to see her, but you’re being too rough.”

“You’re right… I’m sorry.” Lotte turned and gave an apologetic look. 

“Are you?” Barbara scoffed, though her expression displayed much more aggression than her actions did. Her gentle yet firm hold on the sides of Lotte’s arms remained until they both took notice. The young woman flushed and let her hands fall away. 

“I don’t mind, hugs are nice,” Akko replied. She didn’t want any anyone to have doubts that she was feeling better. “Especially Lotte’s!”

“Okay, but you wouldn’t want to disturb the stitches.” Barbara exhaled and shook her head. She then pointed to the desk. “Your food’s here, find me if you need anything.”

“Will do...” Sucy stared her down, irritated that she had interrupted a moment between their friends. Akko nodded a silent ‘thanks’ to Barbara before her attention was pulled back to Amanda and Constanze. The two were conversing about everything that had happened while she was sleeping. Meanwhile, Barbara took one last glance at Akko and turned to leave. 

“Uhm… hey,” Lotte called out from where she sat, at the foot of the bed. 

“Yes?”

“Thank you very, very much.” She put her round glasses back on and softly smiled. 

“It’s my job now,” Barbara declared. The black-haired girl quietly exited the dorm room; she was gone as quickly as she had come. But neither Akko nor Lotte failed to miss a smile, though it seemed rather imperious, that appeared on her face as she was leaving. 

“What was that?” Amanda scoffed, sliding further downwards-if that was even possible-in her seat.

“I don’t know, but it was nice of her.” Lotte brought her knees up to her chest to rest both her arms on.

Akko wondered if everyone at Luna Nova lacked emotions. Did they ever express happiness? Then again, true happiness was hard to come by these days and when it did make itself present, it never stuck around for long. But were the Luna Nova survivors even satisfied with such a wonderful place? Maybe the apocalypse had broken them and they just didn’t care. Heaving a small sigh, she decided that now wasn’t the right time to be thinking about that.

“-ko. Akko!” Amanda waved a hand in front of her face. 

“Yes?!” The said girl’s back straightened and she returned to reality. Four sets of eyes were on her.

“Nothin’, you just looked like you were zoning out.” Amanda shrugged. 

“Haha, sorry.” Akko scratched the back of her head and tried to think. There was something that she wanted to address to the group, but she just couldn’t remember what it was. Something was nagging at her; it was important. 

“Why don’t you eat?” Lotte suggested, moving the tray from the desk to the bedside.

“Sounds good!” Akko took it and set it on her lap. Conversation resumed, but she tuned it out while scanning the contents in front of her. A small glass bowl of white rice speckled with pepper was the first thing that she noticed. It sat in the upper left corner of the tray. Akko’s eyes followed the translucent steam, which drifted up and into the atmosphere at a mesmerizing pace. On instinct, she reached for chopsticks only to find a fork. She reeled back in disappointment, though such a thing didn’t last long. 

Ruby-red eyes brightened up at the sight of a shiny ceramic plate in the center of the tray. On it, a cooked chicken breast, already cut into bite-sized pieces. Next to it was a chocolate chip cookie that made her practically drool. Shoot. This had to be a dream— it was way too good to be true. 

Akko was almost certain she’d never get to see such a luxury again without putting her life on the line. She shook away thoughts of the pudding.

Akko was famished, more than ready to eat. But something caught her eye as she went to pick up utensils. A tall, unblemished glass that contained a bright orange liquid. She squinted slightly at it, noticing pulp suspended in the fluid.

“Hannah made that,” Amanda commented mindlessly, pointing a finger at the cup. “Try it, it’s good.”

“Hannah...?” Akko said slowly with slight confusion. 

“The one with the ponytail who we met at the gates,” Sucy mumbled. “The one who nearly went ape-shit on Amanda.”

“Sucy!” Lotte exclaimed.

Chatting filled the room as Akko began to eat. It was nearly enough to make her cry, something she’d been doing a lot lately. She had become so used to eating cold canned meat, dried fruits, and nuts that she’d almost forgotten what a home-cooked meal tasted like. Cans of beans and pasta heated over an open campfire just weren’t the same. 

When she finished devouring her dinner, Akko wiped her mouth on the loose sleeve of her T-shirt. The Japanese girl paused for a moment, realizing that there was a napkin folded neatly off to the side of the tray. Moments like these made her wonder about how sloppy the outbreak had made her. But then again, she’d probably been eating like a brute long _before_ that. 

 

* * *

 

When the plate and bowl were stripped of their contents, the dinner tray was set back on the desk. Akko’s eyes flickered to the empty chair. All she could think about was how pretty the back of the person who once sat there was. She probably could’ve admired the way Diana’s long wavy hair flowed down her back for hours without complaint. 

That seemed to have jogged her memory; Akko remembered what she wanted to say. Without waiting for a proper moment to bring it up, she cut off one of Sucy’s morbid jokes— not that anyone really minded. 

“I think I want to stay here.”

All attention was on Akko now. The room became quiet for the first time in hours. Of course, such an abrupt comment would make anyone expect a follow-up explanation. She cleared her throat and shifted against the pillows. “Don’t you guys?”

“Of course, it’s... nice here.” Lotte noticeably fidgeted with her two index fingers.

“Safe from the undead too,” said Sucy. “Sadly.” She earned an eye roll from Constanze and a snigger from Amanda.

“Right, so I think that we could make a fortified camp here and to do that, we need to make a good impression. I have some potential plans.” Akko nodded and gently touched the bandages on her side. “Diana wouldn’t just kick us out now that we’re here, right?”

“Don’t get your hopes up. It would be perfectly reasonable if they, the people who have been living here, decide to kick us, the people who intruded on them, out,” Sucy advised in her typical dull tone.

“I don’t see why we should stay here,” Amanda spoke, her voice lowered. She narrowed her eyes at Akko. “I don’t trust these god damned brits. Besides, this place is gonna get overrun at some point. The gates ain’t gonna last.”

“You don’t know that. Being inside the gates is better than outside,” Akko reasoned. 

“Actually, now that I think about it, it might not be.” Lotte pursed her lips.

“What?! Lotte, I thought you were with me on this!” Ruby-red orbs frantically looked over in the said girl’s direction. “What do you mean??”

“When we were walking in, I noticed that most of the building entrances were barricaded,” she explained.

“So?” Akko stared at her, not quite understanding. Her lips pursed and she leaned forward as if it would help her to better comprehend the information.

“If Luna Nova’s campus was completely cleared of walkers, then why would there be sealed off buildings? Also, don’t you think it’s strange how you were taken to a lab rather than an infirmary?” Lotte murmured. A finger moved to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She took a big gulp of air before proceeding to elaborate, “while you were out, I had some time to think… The only reason why they might have just so happened to have medical equipment is because they’re… maybe used to taking in survivors? Like maybe they’ve done it before? Chances are, the infirmary’s in an overrun part of Luna Nova. There’s no way that the entire campus could have been totally evacuated of its students when the infection spread. What would happen if the walkers broke through the barricades?”

“...”

The group took a moment to process the plethora of concerns that Lotte had just brought up. As Akko contemplated what their next move should be, she realized that it was awfully strange for there to only be three survivors in the whole college; they were all girls too. 

She’d seen Hannah with a gun, but it didn’t look like Diana and the nurse were keen on fighting. Or were they? Akko couldn’t exactly be sure since she was drugged for practically the entire day and only recently woke up. Of course, there were probably many other things that she hadn’t even thought about. 

“There’s fresh food here at least,” Akko finally spoke. “And Diana seems like a good person.”

“Seems? What makes you so certain?” Amanda scoffed. “She’s a stranger. She probably just saved you so that she can make you into a slave or something like that.”

“You really think that, Amanda?” Akko’s brow furrowed. Did everyone actually want to leave— is that what this was really about? “Like really, _really_ think that?”

“Remember the last time we let someone help us out?” Amanda clenched her jaw and appeared to be having a hard time recalling it. Whether that be due to faulty memory or trauma, Akko wasn’t quite sure. But knowing Amanda, both were equally plausible.

“Which time?” Akko questioned, frowning. When their group wasn’t being shot at or raided for supplies, they were usually fairly amiable towards other survivors. In the same manner, they had been helped by others on a number of occasions. 

“You know— when that group in Manchester offered us food and a place to sleep… and then tried to… rape us?” Amanda grimaced, as did the other girls, at the poor memories. “We wouldn’t have gotten out if Cons and Sucy hadn’t snuck away and grabbed the guns.”

“...Okay, you’re right. That was…” Akko shuddered, remembering the way that large hands grabbed at her hips and throat as she screamed and thrashed about. Disgusting. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she mumbled, “...the worst. But I still believe that not all people are going to be like that. Amanda, do you actually think that three girls could do that much harm? In Manchester, we were totally outnumbered… But here, we’re the bigger group with more guns and strength!”

“...Look I dunno shit,” she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck with a hand. Akko hated it when Amanda did that since it usually meant that she had doubts about her plans. “But I do know that we were doin’ pretty fine up until now. I don’t see why we can’t just leave and continue doing what we’ve always done,” Amanda said.

“So scavenging for food like rats and splitting a can of spam among the six of us?” Akko spat. “Now that I’ve seen what it’s like here, there’s no way I’m going to do that again.”

“Five.” 

“Huh?” Akko and the others turned their focus to Sucy.

“Jasminka,” Amanda grumbled, expression hardening. 

“Oh…” The Japanese girl’s face fell at the mention of their fallen comrade. The outbreak had been rough on all of them. But no one could deny that Jasminka had always put the distresses of others before herself. Another grimace found its way on Akko’s face.

“A-anyways… we should all try to help out. It would be smart to stay as long as we can so if we just behave, maybe things will all work out, right?” Akko smiled weakly. She began to question her own confidence as a leader but tried to ignore it.

“I dunno about this…” Amanda ran her hand through her short, messy hair. 

“Please, Amanda?” Akko whipped out her best puppy-dog eyes. Maybe, just maybe she could get her best friend on her side.

“...Fine, I’ll go along with your little idea. I’m tellin’ you though, I’m not sure they want us to be permanent guests,” she relented quickly, much to Akko’s surprise. However, Akko could still see a fair measure of hesitance in her eyes. Not good.

“I’ll give it a try too. I helped Barbara make lunch and dinner today. Maybe I can do it again tomorrow,” Lotte said. She fixed her glasses, which had begun to slide down the bridge of her nose. “Sucy?”

“Eghh… work for those three…?” Her face twisted in slight disgust. “Do I have to?”

“Sucy,” Akko whined. “Just ask if you can help and if they tell you that there’s something, do it. If not, then you can just… do whatever you do.”

“Whatever.” Sucy shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her black trench coat. “But you owe me.”

“Anything.” Akko desperately reached out and grabbed hold of her sleeve. 

“If this works, you have to get me some chemicals from the lab here. If it doesn’t, you have to go mushroom hunting with me for at least two hours,” Sucy declared.

“Two hours?!” Akko exclaimed in despair. That meant a whole twelfth of a day would be spent searching the woods for mushrooms that likely weren’t for eating. In fact, there was probably a less than one percent chance that she could squirm her way out of this. When Sucy Manbavaran made any sort of deal, she made sure to collect her winnings. Not even Amanda could find a loophole in the hundreds of bets she lost to Sucy.

“Hold up— why do you want chemicals?” Amanda rose an eyebrow.

“You have your hobbies, I have mine.”

“Dancing is normal. Playing with chemicals isn’t,” the American said. She crossed her muscular arms and sat up a little bit straighter.

“Say that again.” Glaring, Sucy looked ready to kill.

“Guys!” Akko interrupted before things could escalate. “Let’s just do whatever we need to do so that we don’t get kicked out.” 

“Alright, alright, we heard ya loud n’ clear.” Amanda threw her hands up in the air for emphasis. 

“Yay!” Akko cheered. She pumped her arms in the air but immediately quit when she felt her stitches stretch. It was incredibly painful so she settled for giving everyone a double thumbs-up. 

“It’s 12:37 am, we should probably get to bed,” Lotte announced, checking the time on her watch. 

“Awe, but I’m not tired.” Akko frowned as her friends stood up and began making their way towards the door. “Can’t you guys stay a little longer?”

“You should really try to get some sleep too. Tomorrow’s a new day.” Looking over her shoulder, Lotte smiled.

“What’s she going to do? Not like she can move like that,” Sucy grumbled. 

“She’ll figure it out.” Shrugging, Amanda stretched her legs and pat Akko on the head as she lumbered after the others. 

“Maybe Akko can kiss Diana’s ass for a few hours,” Sucy teased with yet another snicker.

“Hey!” Akko shouted, flushing at the literal thought while simultaneously feeling offended at the meaning of her words.

“Sucy!” Lotte pushed her out the door. 

“What? It was just a prank,” she muttered under her breath. 

When Akko heard the familiar _click_ of a door being closed, a wave of loneliness swept over her. She couldn’t help but want someone to stay with her while she slept, though she could have never brought herself to ask. Sucy would’ve been weirded out, Lotte and Amanda both seemed exhausted, and Constanze was too nervous to be around her because of the accident. Ah. She still hadn’t read that letter yet. Akko was about to reach for it but decided against it. There had to be at least something for her to do tomorrow while she was recovering.

With ease, Akko slipped down and into the thick covers of the bed. In the past, she had no problem being left alone for long periods of time. Up until now, nobody really had their own rooms. They all slept huddled as close together as possible for warmth and to be together in the event that there was danger. But now, bedridden in a foreign room in a foreign place and alone, a new fear of loneliness crept up on Akko and ate away at her spirit. 

She snuggled further into the blankets and decided to try sleeping so that she wouldn’t feel so scared.

 

* * *

 

The morning light was there to welcome her when Akko once more popped open her heavy eyelids. Like Lotte had said, it was another brand new day. Despite her grimy hair and terrible body odor, Akko felt refreshed. 

Someone must’ve given her a sponge bath or at least wiped down her body with a wet towel; the formerly filthy skin on her forearm, cleansed of dirt and blood, had returned to its ivory complexion.

She would’ve thought something along the lines of ‘ _about time_ ’, but honestly she hadn’t even noticed. Throughout the last couple of days she was just happy to be alive.

She slowly pulled herself upwards and rubbed her eyes. Hushed voices came from the corner of the room. Akko tried to make out what they were saying, but they were too quiet.

 

“Hello?”

The whispers disappeared.

 

“She’s awake. Get her into the wheelchair,” the girl with the ponytail, who she now knew was called Hannah, ordered.

“Yeah, yeah,” Amanda said. She helped a surprisingly compliant and confused Akko into a wheelchair stationed at the bedside. “Good mornin’ to you again, Akko.”

“What’s going on…?” The brunette looked up at Amanda, eyes full of bewilderment. 

“Diana’s called a meeting. She says it won’t take long,” Lotte explained. 

“Why…?” Akko wondered aloud.

“Dunno.” Amanda shrugged. She quickly followed Hannah and Lotte out of the bedroom, wheeling Akko along.

 

* * *

 

Akko recognized the halls and the large fancy doors in front of her. It was the same place where they had met Diana for the first time.

“Perfect timing,” Diana spoke, watching the four enter the extravagant office. Akko assumed that it had once belonged to the university’s chancellor. Though whoever it is was likely long gone now. “It’s exactly 8:00.”

“We’ve got her,” Amanda scowled. “Now will you please tell us what's goin’ on?”

“Don’t be rude.” Hannah shot her a glare and was about to reprimand her when Diana held a single hand up in the air.

“Very well.” The blonde nodded, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. An urge to do the same thing to herself pricked at Akko. “I suppose that I should let you all know what is to come as far ahead of time as possible.”

“Get to the point,” Sucy muttered under her breath. The only person in the room that had caught it was Diana, who closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.

 

“When Atsuko has recovered enough to be moving about without agitating her injuries, I believe that it would be best for us to… return to our respective strongholds.”

 

“The hell does that mean?” Sucy snarled. She twirled a silver switchblade with her right hand. “Can you please speak like a normal person?”

“Sucy!” Lotte scolded harshly, grabbing her shoulder. Jolting, Sucy dropped the knife in surprise. Akko nervously glanced at the three campus residents. Hannah was clearly pissed, Barbara was shooting a mean glare at Sucy, and Diana remained absolutely emotionless. 

“Ahem,” Diana cleared her throat, “to be more clear, I’d like you all to leave in three weeks.”

Akko’s breath hitched and Amanda must have heard it because she looked down at her in concern. Though she was grateful to be allowed to stay at all, Akko couldn’t help but feel utterly dejected. 

“I’ll remove your stitches after about two weeks, perhaps sooner if your wounds appear to be healing quickly,” said Diana. Akko could feel her crystal-blue eyes on her, attempting to gauge her reaction.

“Then you should all go back to where you came from.” Hannah folded her arms and leaned against the wall near the bookcases. Amanda squinted at her before flickering her eyes to Akko. Realizing that her friend was speechless, she heaved a sigh and growled, “We have no place to go back to.”

Akko looked up in shock. Even though Amanda had reluctantly agreed to her plans to stay at the university, Akko knew that she was less than flattered to do so. The idea that there was nowhere to return to was a lie, at least, for Amanda it was. Amanda was the type of person who could probably live in the wild without an opulent asset and be perfectly content. It was almost like she was made for the apocalypse. 

“We’ve been on the road for quite some time,” Lotte added meekly.

“I see… But you’ve all done very well to make it up until now. So I’m sure that you’ll all be able to find your own settlement,” Diana replied, her voice carrying great certainty. But Akko wasn’t so sure that she could believe in her words despite the fact that she wanted to. 

“Why can’t we stay here…?” she asked slowly. 

“From previous experiences, we’ve come to the conclusion that this would be good for the both of us. Things will return to normal and we can carry on with our everyday lives,” Diana explained. Her face remained completely stoic and Akko didn’t like that at all. Compared to before, it seemed like this Diana was on some sort of unattainable, untouchable pedestal. 

“But there’s safety in numbers,” Akko reasoned but to no avail. Diana didn’t seem to be convinced at all.

“The three of us have been quite alright and your group is certainly strong enough to continue fighting. We mean no ill intent but as stated before, this is for the best.” Diana folded her hands and rested them on top of her refined executive desk. 

“Are you kidding me…?” The brunette gaped at her. That face. Diana looked like she didn’t care at all. “How is this for the best?!” Akko abruptly shouted at the top of her lungs.

Hannah and Barbara’s eyes widened with shock-no surprise there-but Diana appeared to be unaffected. 

Blood coursing through her veins, Akko resisted the urge to crack her knuckles lest it raise flags to Hannah, who was standing beside Diana’s desk with her rifle lowered but looking like she was ready to raise hell. Both Akko’s group mates and she herself knew that it was only a matter of time until Akko burst. There was no stopping her now. Whatever erupted was going to cause destruction.

“Excuse me?” Diana stared intensely at Akko.

“You’ve probably been hiding behind that gate since the outbreak began. So you don’t know what kinds of things we’ve seen, the shit that we’ve gone through,” Akko roared hysterically. Images of her friends being beaten, stripped, and molested in that cold, dark cavern of a basement came to mind. She was livid now.

“Hey!” Hannah nearly screamed at Amanda, her voice somehow shriller than a whistle. Her hand flew to the safety which she switched off with a soft click. Sucy, Lotte, and Constanze all took a step back in fear. Hannah shouted, “You’re supposed to be the leader, right?! Control your group!”

“I— Y-yeah, okay,” stuttered Amanda. She probably had momentarily forgotten, not like Akko hadn’t either. “Akko, you need to chill,” the girl barked sternly.

“You don’t know what it’s really like out there! Sure, you may have taken trips outside the gate, but you haven’t lived outside the gate!” Ignoring Amanda, Akko just kept on going. They’d talk about this later.

"Akko, stop," Lotte pleaded. "Maybe we should save this talk for another time when you aren't so emotional."

"I'm fine, Lotte. Leave me alone," she snarled.

“Hey leader, it’s not working! Is this how you--“ Hannah shouted in an antagonizing voice. 

“Shut up, will you?!” Amanda growled, returning Hannah’s nasty death-glare. 

Meanwhile, Diana waited until the Japanese girl was done spewing claims. Akko paused momentarily to catch her breath. Diana quickly used the few seconds of silence to try and squeeze out some sort of defense, “That may be true. However, we know exactly what it’s li-”

“No you don’t!” Akko cried out, effectively cutting her off. Her blood was boiling now and she held the sides of the wheelchair tightly, trying to restrain herself from lunging at the blonde. “Don’t-- just don’t! By the looks of it, I don’t think you’ve ever had to drink muddy water and eat meager rations of spoiled scraps while trying not to get eaten alive. You haven’t seen women and children get raped or people be purposely sacrificed or even cannibalized! You haven’t been sexually or physically assaulted or stabbed in the back by people who said they’d ‘protect you’.”

“Akko, calm yourself. No more.” Amanda backed the wheelchair up. She must have thought that she was going to reach out and strangle Diana, which was a good call because Akko certainly did feel like doing so. “It doesn’t matter, we can find somewher-”

“You!” Akko let Amanda’s voice go right over her head, focusing solely on Diana. Had she been stopped way earlier, before she had even gotten away with yelling once, maybe Akko wouldn’t be so worked up. As she was now, there was no way that she planned on ceasing her tangent. “You’re an aristocrat! That’s right-- you’re an aristocrat! A blue-blood who’s been living it up inside the gate and hoarding everything for yourself! A conceited, sheltered aristocrat! How many other survivors have you shunned and turned your backs on?!”

The world was soundless apart from Akko’s heavy breathing. She clenched her fists until blood dribbled from where her nails had sliced into her palms and glowered at Diana. Akko felt like she had been blinded and tricked by the British girl’s beauty into believing that she was a genuinely kind person. Did she seriously expect them to abandon a safe haven and return to barely surviving? Maybe there wasn’t any good left in the world.

“You bitch.” Hannah cocked the hammer of her rifle and aimed it straight at Akko’s head. 

“Hannah!” Barbara fumed, furiously shaking her head when she had caught her attention.

“Hey now…” Amanda’s wary green eyes narrowed and she reached for the Glock in the holster strapped to her waist. 

“Don’t move,” Hannah ordered, moving to aim her loaded weapon at Amanda, who froze immediately.

“Do it, I dare you. Shooting us isn’t going to change the fact that I’m right about you,” Akko said bitterly. Adrenaline surged through her veins and she puffed out her chest in order to look more confident. Her crimson-red orbs glared straight into Hannah. No way was she going to let this girl scare the shit out of her friends just because she was armed. 

“If you were not recovering from your injuries, we would have you out there right now for such disrespect,” Diana hissed. Her nails dug into the wood of her desk and Akko wondered if they were going to break. “Consider this act of generosity. I advise you to accept it.”

“You know nothing,” Akko sneered, voice lowering only for a split second. “In this world, we’re at the bottom of the food chain. We lost a friend and I won’t let that happen again. I’ll definitely make sure of it. You’re fucking with the well-being of my group. And **nobody** touches my group.”

“I can’t believe you! We’re letting you stay here for an entire month and you have the nerve to criticize Diana to her face?!” Hannah snapped.

“Stand down,” Diana demanded. Hannah was shocked by this command but lowered her gun, never taking her eyes off of Akko. “Do not do anything you may regret,” Diana practically whispered.

“...” Akko didn’t speak another word. She decided to settle for tilting her chin upwards and flashing Hannah a sly grin. Diana obviously didn’t want them dead so Akko figured that messing with Hannah a little more would be worth it. 

“You ungrateful cur!” She moved towards the wheelchair but Amanda stepped in between the two of them. “Step aside, you mongrel!”

“Why don’t we just all calm down?” Lotte cautiously spoke. “These last few days have been chaotic for us all, including Diana’s group.” She glanced nervously and apologetically towards the three furious girls at the back of the room. “There’s really, really no need for us to all get mad. We’re not children, we can deal with this maturely.” 

“How come _you’re_ not the leader?” Barbara clicked her tongue. Akko would’ve killed to march over and kick her in the shins for that.

“How come _you_ can’t shut the hell up?” Sucy bared her teeth as if she were some sort of animal, making Lotte groan in exasperation.

“Atsuko.” Diana’s voice was neutral but her body was tense and her facial expression showed extreme discontent. She spoke, “I would appreciate it if you would not make such bold and unjustified assumptions about my companions and I. You are correct; we have absolutely no clue what you’ve been through to get here. However at the same time, _you_ haven’t the slightest idea of what _we_ have had to overcome.”

Ah. 

Crap.

“I--” Akko cut herself off. Her words sizzled and burned within Akko’s head. As usual, she hadn’t even considered that. It was frustrating. Yet again she hadn’t thought twice before acting and now she’d hurt people. Before the outbreak, Akko recalled herself being anything but like this. 

She had absolutely no idea when this childish, nasty side of her surfaced. It made her sick to her stomach— she’d made a total fool out of herself, hadn’t she? 

“We’re merely acquaintances. You have no right to tell us of our experiences.” Sharp blue eyes bore holes into sullen red eyes.

Okaa-san always said that she had a ‘quick-temper and impulsive behavior’, but it usually didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Akko’s cheeks burned, now more in shame rather than rage. 

She couldn’t believe how much she’d changed; how much the world had made her change. Everything was sinking in. Since when was she such an insensitive, inconsiderate bitch towards others? As much as she wanted to blame something and defend herself, there weren’t really any good excuses that came to mind. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, though nothing would come out.

“Three weeks. You’re welcome here for three weeks,” Diana asserted. Akko shifted in her seat, feeling somewhat smaller against Diana’s cold, unfriendly gaze. There was no way that this was the same Diana Cavendish from yesterday. This Diana, who made Akko feel like a cold bucket of ice had been dumped on her head, made Akko want to shrink down to the size of a mouse and hide in a pocket.

“Take it or leave it,” Barbara said bitterly. Eyes locking onto Lotte, she bit her lip. As Akko attempted to calm her anxious, rapidly beating heart, she watched Barbara attentatively. Should anything happen between her and Lotte, Akko was ready to say something. 

“We’ll take it, thank you very much,” Lotte blurted out before Akko, Amanda, or Sucy could open their mouths. Downward towards the ground went her head which she dipped in nervous attempts to show respect.

“...Good.” Hannah propped herself up with her rifle. She rested her right elbow on the butt of it. Her dubious hazel orbs scanned over each and every one of Akko’s group members. After a moment, she must’ve been satisfied with Lotte’s response since her posture slightly relaxed. Hannah directed a nod to Diana, who pulled out some sort of familiar-looking notebook and began to scribble something down with a mechanical pencil. 

Akko stared blankly at her. What could she possibly be writing down? Akko wanted to know what she kept in that notebook. Could it be some sort of journal containing important information? Or maybe it was a log of notes on… them? 

She wondered if Diana documented her every encounter with new survivors. A place like Luna Nova was bound to attract a ton of people. If she did and that kind of stuff is what’s in that notebook, then Akko wanted to read it. She had to see what was in it.

Figuring out Diana’s plans for them or even her current thoughts and secret feelings could help protect her group… Akko made a mental note: she’d find a way to get her hands on that notebook. 

Adding a period to conclude whatever sentence she was writing, Diana glanced upwards with that indifferent expression she seemed to enjoy wearing. From the looks of it, she hadn’t expected everyone to still be here. Diana set her pencil down and simply said, “Then I believe our meeting is over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! But don't worry! Chapter 6 is already completed and currently being edited! You won't have to wait another whole month ^ ^!
> 
> Oh, but I do have some news. I might not be able to finish Blood of a Fighter quickly.  
>  ****I'm going to be studying overseas for the next 10 months, thus I'm not sure I'll be able to write and post**  
>  A shame, but I'm certain that I'll have interest in continuing the story! I mean we still have yet to reach the smut //wink wink
> 
> Anyways... Ugh I'm so.. GUHSFIKDfndksm I can't even-- some of you already had clues as to what was going to happen. Like oh my freaking-- am I being too predictable? I feel like I'm totally feeding all the classic apocalypse tropes... Dang it. But not to worry, I have a separate document that I've been brainstorming ideas on. I'm kinda unsure about it though. Y'know, simple stuff. Everyone going on a supply run, exploring a freaky ass elementary school or childrens' hospital, Akko screwing Diana on her desk, Amanda returning to the mall in order to investigate the sealed off third floor~ wait what? I guess we'll just have to see, I didn't want to give away too much so I just kinda threw out the "maybe" ideas, haha!
> 
>  
> 
> Character Profile -  
>  **Name:** Diana Cavendish  
>  **Status:** Alive  
>  **Age:** 20  
>  **Weapon(s):** ?  
>  **Background:** British  
>  **Group:** Diana's team  
>  **Fate:** ?


	6. Keep It Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko has some second thoughts about Diana. Hannah and Barbara supervise the other members of Akko’s group. Amanda convinces Hannah to let her come on a patrol with her; she makes an attempt at opening her eyes to reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!  
> I didn’t abandon this story, I was just waiting on my editor!!  
> **Which.. has become quite busy so my updates might actually be slower than ever—especially since I’m going to be studying overseas in about a month. 
> 
> OH! And guess what? I figured out that I can have two notes lol! I thought I could only add one per chapter, either at the top or bottom. Whoops—should’ve actually read through the tutorial/FAQ.
> 
> Chapter 7 is done and will go up in a week!
> 
> Here’s the chapter 6 I spent like 24+ hours nitpicking ugh. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it!!

Constanze’s letter made Akko so emotional that she cried… then again, Akko usually found herself crying over everything. Each shakily scrawled out letter was heavy with regret and shame. She wanted nothing more than to see Constanze and give her a reassuring hug. Akko wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright and that she knew it was an accident. However, there were a few things that prevented her from doing so. 

The first was the fact that after her little outburst this morning, everyone had split up to go and find something to do. While her friends were trying to get along with Diana’s group, Akko was stuck in the bedroom yet again. It was advised that she stay put for the first few days so that her body could recuperate. But she wanted nothing more than to be up, running around and practicing her aim with Arc.

Another reason was Akko’s own lack of confidence. Now that Diana had made it clear that their time here was limited, she didn’t really know if she could provide solace for the group. Was there really no room for negotiation? 

Akko looked at the time. The clock on the wall ticked as the seconds slowly passed by. It was only 11:00am. She had just finished reading the letter and there wasn’t really anything to do. A groan of boredom escaped her lips.

Her body itched to jump up and run a lap around the campus, but her stitches might stretch and there was no doubt in her mind that she’d get yelled at. Akko couldn’t even roll around in bed without her wounds throbbing; they were a pain in the ass to deal with. 

Ruby-red eyes caught sight of the desk. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The pain that she felt wasn’t so bad, but she could definitely tell that her body was sore. Akko pulled herself over to the desk and let herself fall backwards and onto the wooden chair. 

“My name’s Diana. I’m a pre-med kid who showers daily with hot water, eats three meals a day, and probably has tea-time in the afternoons when the screams of other survivors being eaten by dead people aren’t so loud,” Akko mocked in a very ‘sophisticated’ fake British accent. She straightened her back, clasped her hands together, and gazed out the window.

“Yes, yes. I might be kinda sexy but don’t be fooled by the curve of my hips or sweet-looking lips!” Akko gasped dramatically and giggled to herself when she came close to rhyming. “I’m the devil in disguise! I like to save people’s lives… and then toss them out of my safe-zone to get killed by a bunch of blood-thirsty corpses because I hate everyone. Sort of like... rescuing a fish out of water by throwing it into a bucket and then kicking that bucket over.”

Akko frowned at her own impression of Diana. That… didn’t sound as accurate as it did in her head. Perhaps she was being a little bit too harsh. Maybe there was a specific reason why Diana didn’t want them here. She sighed and opened one of the desk drawers, looking for something she could write on. There was a ball-point pen and a few pencils, but nothing else. When she opened the second drawer, there was a pad of sticky notes. 

 _‘Day 1…_ ’ Akko wrote. Or was it technically day 2? Whatever, Akko didn’t really care. She continued, ‘ _must think of new plan’._ The brunette paused to think before proceeding to write another thought down: _‘Must talk to Diana’_.

 

* * *

 

On the second floor of the main building, there was a massive space with plenty of windows, pastel blue walls bordered with white, warm-grey carpeting, and expensive-looking study tables; it was one of the student commons areas on campus. The many large, fancy casement windows provided plenty of lighting when the sun was out. Unfortunately, today was a rather cloudy day and thus, the fixtures on the ceiling and spaced out along the walls were the primary source of light.

Fabric and leather couches, luxury sofas, and even a few recliners were neatly organized around coffee tables, making up seating spaces. There were about five groups of sitting areas that circled a large column.

On each side of it, a flat screen TV, so that students could see whatever was going on.  However, there wasn’t anything to watch anymore and it’d be a waste of solar power to use them for DVDs or video games.

Shelves of miscellaneous books adorned the walls as did several paintings which had been created by none other than Luna Nova University’s artists. All of which now painted the floors, walls, and streets red with their undead blood rather than the abandoned canvases in the art rooms.

In the cluster of furniture closest to the staircase and elevator leading to the main floor and above, Hannah sat. The arrangement consisted of two navy blue sofas on either side of a long cherry wood coffee table as well as two grey armchairs on the remaining two shorter sides.

Hannah, Amanda, and Constanze were sitting on the sofa directly across from Barbara, Lotte, and Sucy. The three girls opposite of Hannah were extremely engrossed in the books that they were reading. Hannah, on the other hand, was quietly watching Amanda and Constanze play Slapjack. She winced when Amanda got a little bit too excited and slapped the table with all the strength she could muster, startling Barbara and Lotte.

“I win!” Amanda hollered. 

But Constanze shook her head, causing Amanda to frown and look down. She carefully slid her hand, which was red from hitting the table so hard, off of the card. It was a king— not a jack. 

“That’s the third time you’ve lost,” Hannah snickered. 

“I’d like to see you try.” Amanda scowled, sinking down the sofa like her triumphant feelings had. From beside her, Constanze gave her a pat on the back. 

The events of yesterday regarding Akko’s outburst and Hannah’s threats to open fire on them were definitely making everyone cautious around one another. Barbara kept her distance from Amanda, choosing to sit next to Lotte, who was believed to be the less violent member of the group.

In order to keep Sucy from insulting or mauling Hannah and Barbara, Lotte sat right next to her, separating her from Barbara. Having spent time preparing meals with the black-haired girl when they’d first arrived, Lotte wasn’t even the least bit scared of Barbara.

Hannah was sitting with Barbara in her sight and Amanda close by so that she could quickly act in the event that something happened. She’d checked that Amanda’s weapons weren’t concealed or in her hands. To ensure that Constanze would feel more safe, Amanda chose to settle between her and Hannah, who inspected her rifle every so often. It was like she was trying to constantly remind everyone who was in control. 

The lights to the student commons area flickered on and off momentarily. 

“I think there’s something wrong with the power grid, that’s been happening a lot recently,” Barbara said. Concern was upon her face as she suggested, “maybe our grid-tie inverter malfunctioned…?”

“Can we get a new one?” Hannah asked.

“Maybe…” The black-haired girl pursed her lips and leaned back into the cushions.

“You won’t be able to find one of those unless you go to some sort of warehouse,” Lotte said softly.

“No need!” Amanda smiled proudly. 

“What?” Hannah stared suspiciously at her. “Don’t tell me you’re some sort of handy-man?” 

“Nope,” Amanda shook her head, “but Cons here is!”

“Is that true?” Barbara looked at her with wide eyes. “Do you think it can be repaired?”

Constanze thought for a second before firmly nodding her head. She gave Amanda a thumbs up and left the room.

“Where is she going?” Barbara curiously looked after the small girl. 

“To get her tools. Hopefully everything she needs is here,” Lotte answered.

“Hopefully,” Sucy mumbled. “I’d kill to explore a little…”

“Well, I’m going to patrol the perimeter. Let Diana know, okay?” Hannah stood up. When Barbara nodded, the auburn-haired girl grabbed her rifle, which had been lain across the coffee table in front of them. She then picked up a nearby shotgun and dropped it into Barbara’s lap, right in front of the page of the book that she was reading.

“I don’t think I’ll be needing this,” Barbara stated. She moved the weapon off to the side and glanced up at Hannah. 

“Just… in case,” Hannah said, peering at Lotte and Sucy. Lotte was reading some hardcover novel which had its dust jacket removed-so she didn’t know exactly what it was-while Sucy had found chemistry textbook among the shelves. 

“Nothing’s going to happen.” Barbara rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. Or at least, she tried. Hannah reached out and grabbed her hand as she was turning the page. Barbara frowned and looked up at her. “Hannah.”

“Please, just,” Hannah nudged the shotgun across the sofa cushion and closer to Barbara, “keep it close.” 

“Alright,” Barbara sighed. “But you need to tone it down a little. Don’t worry about me so much.”

“I just really want you to be safe…” said Hannah. Barbara ignored this and resumed her reading. When Barbara had flickered her eyes back down and onto her text, Hannah found that her hand was reaching out to touch her face. She paused and decided not to. As Hannah moved towards the staircase leading to the main lobby area, Amanda watched her. 

“Hey, wait,” she called out.

Hannah glared over her shoulder at the American. “What?”

“Can I… come with?” Amanda asked slowly.

“Why?” She looked her up and down in suspicion.

“I’m bored and unlike those three,” Amanda pointed to Barbara, Lotte, and Sucy, “I don’t like to read.”

“Maybe it would help your exponentially decaying brain cells,” Hannah laughed.

“Can I come with you or not?” Amanda frowned. 

“No.”

“What’s the harm, Hannah?” Barbara looked up from her solar panel repair manual. “I’d feel much better if you didn’t go alone.”

Hannah waved her gun in the air. “I’ll be fine; I always am. You worry too much.”

‘What a hypocrite,’ thought literally everyone in the room aside from Hannah. Well, aside from Sucy, who was trying really hard to tune everyone out.

“Says you. So you can worry about me but I can’t worry about you? It’s better not to take chances. If others come and try to take the campus, you should have someone to watch your back,” Barbara attempted to persuade her. Soft-cover book resting on her lap, she gave Hannah _the look_. Hannah knew that look very well. 

Usually, Diana would be what she considered her ‘mom friend’ but when push came to shove, it seemed like Barbara ditched being her best friend to be her caregiver. It warmed her heart but Hannah didn’t always enjoy it.

“She’s a stranger, Barb. I’m not sure I want her watching my back with just the two of us,” Hannah retorted. 

“She has nothing to gain by hurting you,” Barbara said. “That I know of.”

“I swear to god I won’t do anything. I just wanna get outta this stuffy place for a bit, y’know?” Amanda said. “Look, I won’t even bring any firearms. I’ll just bring my spear. If I try anything, you can shoot me.”

“Since when were you so vulnerable?” Hannah raised an eyebrow. “Just yesterday you were getting on my arse for trying to help you.”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I was being a little bit of an asshole. But I got some sleep, a whole lot more than I ever had in months, Akko is okay, and now I feel like doing something other than lounging around,” Amanda explained desperately, throwing her hands up. “Please?”

Hannah gazed at her for what seemed like a minute, unconvinced. Her nails rapped the barrel of her gun whilst she thought about it. 

“You know, you’re the one who opened the gates,” Sucy noted. “If you didn’t trust us at all, you wouldn’t have done that. You’re pretty much responsible for us. Just let her go so we can get some peace and quiet around here.”

“Fine.” Hannah turned her head to the side and huffed. There went Diana’s instructions to keep everyone together. At least everyone, aside from Atsuko and Constanze, was under supervision. Normally, she would’ve started some sort of argument with the mauve-haired girl but she really just wanted things to hurry up so that she could go secure the borders. “But you’re bringing that baseball bat, not the spear,” she said to Amanda. 

“Whatever you say, princess.” Amanda rolled her eyes, propping the spear up against the arm of the couch and grabbing her metal weapon.

Hannah paled, looking visibly shocked. It was surprising since Amanda didn’t think that she could physically look any whiter than she already was. “What’s wrong…?” Amanda inquired. 

Barbara looked up and at the two from her spot on the couch. She wordlessly watched them with sharp eyes. Lotte noticed this but decided not to comment on it. After a moment, Hannah shook her head and gathered herself.

“Nothing, let’s go.” Hannah straightened the bright yellow ribbon that tied her hair up and left the room with Amanda following in pursuit. 

 

* * *

 

Amanda walked after Hannah, dragging her bat across the ground and letting a hand reach out to the fences, each one of her fingers bumping against the bars. It made for an infuriating noise which was certainly testing Hannah’s patience. The two had checked the front gate and were now beginning to make their lap around campus. 

Puffy, white clouds hid the blue sky above and birds chirped from their perches in the trees outside the towering fences. As they walked, Amanda found herself yet again staring at Hannah’s ponytail, which swished back and forth while she walked. Amanda reached one hand back to grasp at her own hair. It was too short to replicate the hairstyle.

_Click!_

She looked up to see Hannah aiming at a walker. Long arms covered in deep cuts and crusty skin which fell apart, revealing swollen, rotting muscle, reached through the bars. It tried and failed to push its head through, causing the flesh on its face to be split and distorted. 

 

**Blam!**

 

The force of the fired projectile knocked the corpse backwards and onto the ground. She’d shot it right between the eyes. Hannah looked around afterwards, wiping sweat from her brow. Amanda peered at her surroundings as well, finding that there was nothing else in sight. Hannah must have come to the same conclusion; she continued walking.

“You should save your bullets,” Amanda advised. She pulled a knife out of her pocket and attempted to offer it to her.

“Don’t need to,” Hannah replied bluntly. Her boots tapped against the pavement that ran parallel to the fence around the university.

“Okay but what about the sound? It’s gonna attract others.” Amanda frowned.

“Luna Nova’s practically in the middle of nowhere,” Hannah deadpanned, turning around to give her a dull-eyed look. “One shot isn’t going to hurt.”

“Why are you so difficult?” she sighed. 

“Look who’s talking!” Hannah lowered her rifle and turned around to face Amanda.

“Hey, you wouldn’t leave me the hell alone yesterday so the least you could do is give up and just take this so you don’t get everyone killed. I like guns too; they’re fast and easy to use but if this place gets overrun, it’ll be your fault. Knives are quieter and more efficient.” Amanda’s minty-green eyes scanned Hannah up and down. She wore black running shorts, a light gray t-shirt, and an oversized, navy blue winter jacket. “Seriously? You don’t even have extra bullets on you?”

“We’re inside the fence and there’s usually not that many,” Hannah argued. She pushed the knife away, glaring at her intensely. “I… don’t need it.”

“Yes you do,” Amanda insisted. 

“No, I don’t,” Hannah snapped. The British girl whirled around on her heels and marched forward. 

“You do.” Amanda followed her, refusing to give up.

“I don’t.” Hannah shook her head furiously.

“But you do.”

“I really don’t!”

“At least tell me why.” Amanda rushed around Hannah and blocked her path. With her feet planted firmly on the ground, she was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. She stared down at Hannah, metal bat resting on her right shoulder, and knife in her left hand. 

“I just can’t!” Hannah shouted. In Amanda’s shadow which loomed over her, she stood— it made Amanda feel like she was in control. Hannah took a deep breath and gripped her gun tightly. “This is my weapon of choice and I need it.”

Amanda said nothing. Instead, she just stared down at the shorter girl in confusion. She waited for a better response. Amanda didn’t like that one. Hannah must’ve caught on because she frowned and tried again.

“When I shoot, I can get the job done properly. But close-combat… it makes me remember that these… creatures were once living, breathing people,” Hannah whispered. Her face was only sullen for a moment before it hardened. “Which is why I don’t need your knife—I’m never going to use it.”

“They _were_ human, they’re not anymore,” Amanda groaned, setting her bat down. “It’s been a year. If you hesitate for even a second, you’ll get ripped apart.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Hannah snarled. “I wanted to be a doctor, not an exterminator!” Her knuckles turned white and she, once again, glared up at Amanda.

“Well… that’s okay, sweetheart. You’ll toughen up eventually.” Amanda shrugged and patted her on the head. 

“How dare you!” Hannah slapped her hand away. “Don’t talk down to me, you oafish brute.”

“Face it,” Amanda snickered ruthlessly. “You’re weak the way you are now-- even with that gun. You can’t do it because you’re a scared little girl.” Hannah gasped but before she could make some sort of aggressive retort, the American continued, “But don’t worry, this world will break you.”

Amanda carelessly tossed the knife at her and picked up her bat. She climbed up and over the fence in a matter of seconds. 

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Hannah questioned menacingly. She looked about ready to explode. 

“It means that sooner or later...” as she spoke, Amanda landed on the other side with a loud _thump_ . A walker in a filthy tracksuit turned its head and began to trudge in her direction. It limped, having a badly broken leg which bent the wrong way, the splintered tibia jutting out of the bloodied flesh. Amanda grinned and continued, “you’ll be able to do **this**!” 

She raised her weapon and swung hard. The metal bat hit its target with a thick, heavy sound. Amanda quickly withdrew and struck again, leaving another dent in the walker’s decomposing face. 

Her opponent’s skull squelched and made slick noises as she bashed until brains became mush. Its face was so mutilated that a DNA test would’ve been the only method of identification. 

Amanda, who was now trying to catch her breath, supported her weight by using her bat. She leaned forward, pushing it into the scarlet soil beside the remains of the walker’s head. 

Foul-smelling blood containing bits of what was likely bone and brain matter trickled down the bat so Amanda lifted her head, stood up straight, and flicked it off. It splattered across the bars of the fence, some of it staining Hannah’s clothes as she looked on in complete horror.

Satisfied with her work and with Hannah’s reaction, Amanda wiped the sweat and blood from her face onto the sleeve of her black leather jacket. 

 

“That’s how it’s done, babe.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh Amanda, what have you done now? Smh.
> 
> And... could something be lurking in the waters between Hannah and Barbara, the best friends forever girls?
> 
> Hannah, what’s your secret?  
> In fact—Blue team girls, what are you hiding...?
> 
> Guess you’ll just have to come back and find out ;))!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I appreciate all the support! Especially to the guests who come by and leave a kudos that remind me to work on Blood of a Fighter!  
> Thanks so much!!!!
> 
>  **Character Profile -**  
>  **Name:** Hannah England  
>  **Status:** Alive  
>  **Age:** 20  
>  **Weapon(s):** Lee-Enfield Rifle  
>  **Background:** British  
>  **Group:** Diana’s team  
>  **Fate:** ??

**Author's Note:**

> And then there were five...-
> 
> *WARNING: If you've jumped down here without reading then you'll get spoilers  
> Whoops, too late. Now you know for next time lmao.
> 
> -
> 
> First fanfic, first post!
> 
> Hello and thanks for reading!  
> I recently started re-watching AMC's TWD and I've just re-read Gakkou Gurashi to its most recent chapter. So, I figured that I'd like to see some badass zombie shit from the LWA cast!  
> There will eventually be smut, but the only scene I have planned for now is Hannah/Amanda. But not to worry, Diakko's a pretty big focus.
> 
> That actually took way longer than I had initially expected...  
> There was going to be more but I figured that I should just end chapter 1 there or else things would be too chaotic.
> 
> If you're concerned about understanding all the gun crap, don't stress over it. It's (mostly) flavor text though some stuff may pop up again in the future  
> If something is important to the story, I'll be sure to explain it. You don't have to know all about types of guns, calibers, etc. Just enjoy!
> 
> This first chapter is quite rushed when it comes to pacing, but we'll be slowing down a whole lot more after this.
> 
> Honestly, I've read enough fanfic to know that sometimes character descriptions are given at the very beginning or at the very end. They're sometimes neat but I typically don't read them. However, considering the fact that there are all these unique weapons and I (may) end up killing off characters, perhaps I should leave at least one here. 
> 
>  
> 
> -
> 
>  **Character Profile -**  
>  **Name:** Jasminka Atonenko  
>  **Status:** Deceased  
>  **Age:** 21  
>  **Weapon(s):** AK-47  
>  **Background:** Russian  
>  **Group:** Akko's team  
>  **Fate:** Bitten on the ankle and consumed by the undead


End file.
